Clinton Elementary School Tunnel, Columbus, OH

In preparation to create a large scale artwork for the pedestrian tunnel at Clinton Heights and High Street, artists Adele Mattern and Adam Hinterlang and have been working with the K-5th grade artists of the Tunnel Club at Clinton Elementary to develop an archive of pattern based drawings. “One of our most productive sessions involved the students literally playing with food—tracing crackers and apple rings to make patterns” says Mattern.

In the final design, the children's drawing and pattern experiments are elevated to a monumental scale. Through digital technology, of which HInterlang is a master, the outline of an apple ring becomes bigger than the child who drew it. The artists explore patterns as they emerge, coalesce and break down over the space of the tunnel in a progression which loosely mirrors the street above. Patterns also become a visual way to explore the tunnel's sound distortion. Children's written descriptions of the tunnel environment, with invented spelling intact, provide a means to explore the pattern of the sounded word.

To paint the finished design on the tunnel walls, Hinterlang, (MFA,Alfred) and Mattern (MFA OSU) were joined by a volunteer team of artists, including current OSU art graduate students Kyla Toomey, Janet Macpherson, Sara Gallo, Zepher Potrafka, and Matt Cherubini. Other contributing artists are Ryan Agnew, Aimee Sones, Lisa Fousek, Rob Thompson and David Staniunas.

An assembly to introduce the newly painted tunnel to the Clinton Elementary community is being planned. Contact Kathy Leffler for details.