A piece of History in Haag Hall

In the hurry to arrive to class on time, many who venture up to the third floor of Haag Hall might walk by a true work of art without giving it a second glance.

But UMKC Archives Senior Manuscript Specialist Tonya Crawford doesn't want us to ignore the university's history, and this includes Joseph Amadeus Fleck's mural.

"It is a snapshot of the past," Crawford said. "It has that happy idyllic-ness we associate with that time period."

Depicted in the murals are students in familiar locations across campus participating in activities we might still do today: picnicking on the quad, walking down sidewalks, chatting with our friends or even drawing on easels.

The latter activity depicted in the panels was inspired by one of Fleck's art students, Andrew G. Saffas, alumnus of (what was then) the University of Kansas City (UKC).

"Occasionally, Mr. Fleck conducted his painting classes out of doors, on campus," said Saffas in the fall edition of Perspectives. "I was not aware that he was making sketches of me, which he incorporated into his mural, 'Spring on Campus,' until 45 years later. In 1989, I returned to the university, and while visiting the Liberal Arts Building, was pleasantly surprised to see myself depicted in the mural, in front of an easel, holding a palette."

"Spring on Campus" is one-half of the two-part mural entitled "Campus Scenes, 1943-1944." The other is entitled "Winter on Campus."

Fleck completed the oil painting in 1944, only a year after the university commissioned the piece.

"Fleck was asked by the university," Crawford said. "It was a trend [at UKC] that artists-in-residence were asked to create a piece for the university."

Unlike the masks that flank the University Playhouse, Fleck completed his project without creative input from his students. They did, however, contribute to the painting in other ways.

Like Saffas, many other real-life students are depicted in the painting, including six female students who were recognized in the Dec. 14, 1943 issue of The Kansas City Star.

Students also helped to place the painting in Haag Hall after its completion.

"Unlike the Quintanilla [also in Haag], which was directly painted on the wall, Fleck's were painted on panels and were placed on the walls with the help of students," Crawford said.

The familiar locations, the student input, and the fact that the painting was completed by an artist who would go on to serve as the Dean of Fine Arts at UKC/UMKC all contribute to make "Campus Scenes" a testament to the history of our campus.

"[The paintings] are so very UMKC - or then UKC," Crawford said. "They are UMKC students in UMKC campus scenes. Out of all the artworks on campus, it is the one that is the most home-grown."

tkloeppel@unews.com