David Flores

“When you paint a mural in a public place such as this, it communicates that creative people live and work here,” said Jim Daichendt, Ed.D., associate dean of the school. Funded by a generous grant from the Windgate Charitable Foundation, the mural speaks to the heart of the school’s desire to produce works of theater, cinematic arts, art, and design with cultural importance. “Shakespeare seemed a natural choice because he’s one of the playwrights immediately recognizable to people inside and outside the theater community,” said Rachel Tracie, Ph.D., associate professor and chair of the Department of Theater Arts. The mural speaks to who we are and what we want to be as a department—doing classical work, but also new things with it.

To accompany the mural, assistant professor Stephen Childs, MFA, coordinated an on-campus exhibit highlighting Flores’ artwork and product designs last December. GIFT: The Art of David Flores (Cameron + Company, 2015) also features the APU mural and exhibit, an exclusive interview with Childs and Flores, and essays by Department of Art faculty. “Hosting David Flores and commissioning his work play a role in elevating the university’s stature in the larger art community and expose the APU community to a prominent Los Angeles artist,” said Childs.