Tyson Community School memorializes its namesake with mural

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EAST ORANGE, NJ — It began with an artist’s sketch. William Coronado, a grades 6-12 art instructor at Cicely L. Tyson Community School of Performing and Fine Arts, decided to create a wall mural as a tribute to the school’s matriarch, award-winning actress of stage and screen Cicely L. Tyson. The disruption caused by the COVID-19 outbreak, however, prevented Coronado from completing the project earlier.

“I wanted to make a mural that glorified her achievements,” Coronado, who has been teaching at the school for 17 years, said. “I was going to take different photographs of her throughout her industrious career and create a montage. Then COVID-19 happened, and we were sent home for remote instruction. By the time we were safe to return to the school building, she had passed away.”

With Tyson’s death, Coronado’s vision for the mural shifted.

“I read an article that in the late 1960s, as blaxploitation films began to gain popularity, Ms. Tyson took a leave from acting. She refused to portray African American women in a negative manner,” he said. “I found her artistic decision to have so much integrity that I was inspired to delve deeper into her work, seeing it altogether with a different perspective and lens.”

Coronado decided to infuse artistic techniques he had recently acquired from his study of classical art into the mural.

“I have fallen in love with the way the great masters use color and form as metaphors. I also love their use of lighting techniques,” Coronado said, adding that the use of extreme lighting techniques, found in some Renaissance paintings, was usually reserved for religious and political figures only. Figures of lesser standing were painted in half light or remained in shadow. His appreciation of the lighting techniques filtered into his vision of his mural. “I decided to create a composition using those techniques in which I would use light to metaphorically represent her greatness.”

Coronado has already completed four sittings at the mural, each approximately four hours long; he expects two more sittings before the mural is complete.

“I have done murals for the school before, but something different happened to me with this one. I cannot really explain why. Maybe it’s the fact that she passed,” Coronado said. “I did not know her personally. I see that she has been a loss to the community and I see how they have reacted to her death. I am a person that usually keeps my ideas in my head, expressing myself through art. This mural creation has been an emotional outpouring of feelings for me. I want to give something to the school and the students. Art is powerful. Art can change a mood. She’s a reminder of the excellence that can happen in the school. Younger generations will look at the complete body of her work with a message of positivity.”

Though the mural is not yet complete, Principal John English stopped by to view Coronado’s work, saying, “I was very very excited to see the mural. My excitement stems from the art itself and how great it looks. It’s powerful. I also appreciate how Mr. Coronado took the initiative to create a tribute wall to Ms. Tyson. The initiative along with the greatness of the art has me super excited.”

According to English, this mural is a fitting tribute to Tyson, who gave so much to the school’s community.

“It’s a huge loss for the school, a loss that will be tremendous to overcome. It’s a loss for Tyson (Community School) because of the exposure she afforded the kids in the community. She had a huge presence — probably almost impossible to replace or replicate,” English said. “Dec. 19 is her birthday. We always have a celebration. I plan to have people escorted up to view the mural, take pictures, and then get escorted down to the auditorium for our annual show. I don’t want the kids to forget her legacy. We will continue to celebrate, honor and know who she is.”

Photos Courtesy of Mirvetk Tonuzi