Office of Minority Affairs and Diversity staff and students recently visited Artech, the south Seattle site housing the historic Ethnic Cultural Center (ECC) murals during the facility’s extensive renovation.
Gabriel Gallardo, OMA&D associate vice president of student services and academic support programs, Marisa Herrera, ECC director, and John Wetzel, project manager with the UW Capital Projects Office, were accompanied by a representative from each of the Student Legacy groups. They viewed the murals in their archival conditions and learned more about the preservation process being conducted by Artech.
Last August, the walls containing the historic murals in the original ECC were extracted from the building and transferred to this site. The murals were cleaned and the restoration process began. After the paintings are restored, a protective gloss will be applied to help preserve their colors. Each mural will be given a wooden frame before being transferred to the new facility.
The new Samuel E. Kelly Ethnic Cultural Center is expected to be complete in late fall, 2012.
View a photo gallery from the site visit here.
Photos by Nataly Brockwell