Renderin in Colum Festival of the Arts poster contest Melissa Mudd mixes memories of create award-winning art. By Jennifer Herseim Photo by Anastasia Pottinger Memory is a fickle thing to hold (on to. Looking at England's side streets and old syle architecture, Melissa Mudd didn't try to foo! herself nto thinking her memories ofthe scenery would last even as long as the accent she picked up while abroad for two weeks. Since finishing her first year teaching art to students at Rock Bridge High School and spontaneously hopping on a plane, her sojourn in England was @ whirlwind of sights and sounds she tried heiplessly—like any good tourist—to capture with stacks of photographs. “Ws So fun to be a fly on the wall at a place you dont know,” Mudd said. “It as great to walk around. Even hearing smothers scold their children was different Cover there. | took a lot of photos, and knew | was going to se them for something but didn't know what. When she returned to Columbia laden ‘with memories and photographs of her travels, Mudd did't find a use for her pictures until several road trips later. It ‘was her fascination with the way memo- ties blend into one another that lead to a series of at projects chronicling her trips to England, New York, Chicago, Memphis and Florida, When Mudd learned of Columbia's Festival of the Arts poster contest last year, she knew one of her paintings, a grab bag of her favorite places in Columbia— Shakespeare’, Ernie's Cafe, Ragtag and a ‘dozen more places—was perfect for the Contest. The Festival ofthe Ars committee agreed and selected the 27-year-old artists work asthe 2008 poster ofthe yer. “The poster is very youthful and contemporary. We've never had anything lke it," sald René Heider, owner of Deck ‘The Wels and festival sponsor. "We've never had something so interactive before. Everybody can relate toi, al different age ANnLIOL OINAE O1LU Bia winner Columbia to ‘groups, because they can go through the piece and say ‘Oh that's the library’ and point itout. Whenever artis interactive ike that, i takes that intimidation out of it because everyone can enjoy it.” ‘Sworn to secrecy for months, Mudd found it dificult to keep the news of the award from her students, who were eager to find out if she was a finalist. Each day coming into class, Mudd's students would pounce on her with questions about the contest. She shrugged off their inquiries and played ignorant for months. “know they are going to be excited when they find out,” Mudd sai, ‘Mudd was born in Warrensburg, but moved to Columbia to earn two undergraduate degrees from the University of Missouri in art and art education. She went into the Fellows Program in Sedalia, which was a grueling year of teaching art parttime, while studying for a masters degree in art education. After receiving her master’s, Mudd moved back to Columbia four years ago to teach art at Rock Bridge High School. nitially, Mudd set out to be an artist, But while in schoo, she met Dr. Kathy Unrath, an influential professor who steered her toward teaching. “Everything in my being was saying, no, | don’t want to be a teacher,” Mudd said. One of her biggest fears was being forced to wear the “holiday sweaters” she always assoc- ated with teachers. To the horror of her students, she owns a clasic “holiday sweater” she brings out and tres on occasionally Teaching offered her a chance to direct her talents toward helping others with thei art and allowed her the flexibility during summer to work exclusively on her projects or travel with friends, ‘Summer breaks pair well with quick trips to Florida beaches, and holidays can turn into a weekend in Memphis with friends. Mudd’s artwork, which layers vintage street signs and, town icons, represents her memories from those places. was interested inthis idea of memory. You don't remember things as this pristine litle postcard; it's these overlapping moments or a glimpse of a sign,” Mudd said. “I love to layer in my work, and | think thats a ot lke memory, itself. Because you don't have that crystal clear image, mostly its from what you recollect. Sometimes it's partly through snapshots and conversation, and like to have that conversation with paint.” ‘Mudd’s poster, “My Columbia,” is on sale at both Deck the Walls locations in the Columbia Mall and on Grindstone Parkway. Columbia's Festival of the Arts will be Sept. 27 and 28.