The Thomas More University Biology Field Station will celebrate Earth Day with an unveiling of their new river mural on Saturday, April 13 from 2 – 7 p.m.
The mural, created by artist Jon-Paul Passalacqua, will be a vibrant addition to the STEM Outreach Center, which opened in the fall.
Passalacqua began producing the mural early last fall, working an estimated total of 160 hours. The mural itself is 70 feet long and 10 feet tall and depicts a landscape of the Ohio River ecosystem with a focus on the biodiversity within the river. Beyond the aesthetics of the mural, it will be a teaching tool for the Biology Field Station’s K-12 STEM Outreach programs and highlights the convergence of art and science to engage students on the STEM subjects.
The artist (and his friend) at work. (Photo provided)
The unveiling will be part of the Biology Field Station’s annual Earth Day celebration. Sponsored by the Blue & Green Environmental Club and the Biology Field Station, this family-friendly event will include planting flowers and shrubs, mulching, cleaning up the Ohio riverbank, tours of the new STEM Outreach Center and research labs, in addition to a meet-and-greet with mural artist Passalacqua and a cookout.
Passalacqua, a University of Louisville graduate, earned a degree in 2D design. Post-graduation, he began his career as a freelance artist, painting murals in Louisville at locations like The Galt House and The Barrett Bar. Today, he primarily works as a freelance storyboard artist with hopes to one day work on a full movie production crew for a reputable studio. “Since I was a kid, creating worlds has always been a passion of mine,” he said.
The celebration will take place at 8309 Mary Ingles Highway, California, at the TMU Biology Field Station and STEM Outreach Center. It is free and open to the public.
For more information, reach out to Biology Field Station Director Chris Lorentz at Christopher.lorentz@thomasmore.edu.
The new STEM Outreach Center celebrated its grand opening in November.
This $875,000 expansion to the Biology Field Station, acquired on March 10, 1967, by Thomas More University, then Villa Madonna College, is a 25-acre site of the former Lock and Dam No. 35 on the Ohio River. This one-of-a-kind facility for applied biological research is the only working field station on the banks of the entire stretch of the 981-mile Ohio River just 30 minutes from Thomas More University’s main campus in Crestview Hills.
