Former professor dedicates time to preserving mural

Pan American Unity mural at the City College’s Diego Rivera Theatre on Ocean Campus. (Photo by Khaled Sayed)
President and board member of Cultural Heritage Imaging Mark Mudge demonstrates Reflectance Transformation Imaging on a fos- silized fish to attendees at its organization’s open house on Sunday, March 22. (Photo by Otto Pippenger)
President and board member of Cultural Heritage Imaging Mark Mudge demonstrates Reflectance Transformation Imaging on a fos- silized fish to attendees at its organization’s open house on Sunday, March 22. (Photo by Otto Pippenger)

By Patrick Cochran

CULTURE EDITOR

The world-famous Diego Rivera mural housed at City College’s Ocean Campus is turning 75-years- old, and one former City College instructor is determined to preserve it longer.

William Maynez taught physics at City College for 33 years. Since retiring in 2012, Maynez has made it his mission to promote and preserve this unique piece of art. Despite the murals old age, it is

apparently improving with age. “Frescos are like a wine,” former City College instructor William Maynez said. “They get better with age.”

To celebrate the murals birthday, researchers are taking a “high tech selfie” to determine the best way to preserve the fresco using new technology. Images from the mural “selfie” will be made available online.

Maynez has partnered with the nonprofit Cultural Heritage Imaging to utilize their recently developed Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI) technology to make a digital version of the mural.

The digital images will allow viewers to see the mural in lifelike fidelity, including hidden parts of the fresco that is not visible to the naked eye.

Pan American Unity mural at the City College’s Diego Rivera Theatre on Ocean Campus. (Photo by Khaled Sayed)
Pan American Unity mural at the City College’s Diego Rivera Theatre on Ocean Campus. (Photo by Khaled Sayed)

RTI is a 30-minute process in which numerous pictures of an object are taken while exposed to a barrage of intense and varied light. Using these images researchers will be able to understand how the fresco is aging.

The fresco’s current location is far from ideal, according to Maynez. “In its current location, you can only step back 14 feet. The fresco is over 75 feet long. That is not ade- quate, you need to be able to see it in

its entirety, and right now you can’t,” Maynez said.

Maynez supports the creation of The Center for Pan American Unity, which would be the future home of the mural. The purpose of the center would be to, “ethically fulfill City College’s stewardship of the world famous Diego Rivera mural.”

pcochran@theguardsman.com