Audrey Piehl
Arts & Entertainment Editor
When students filed into the familiar high school corridors for the first time in months, they were expecting a lot of new: new teachers, new dignified senior posters and the class of 2015.
However there was a fresh adornment observing all of this from afar. Hung above the student calendar in the lounge, a mural appropriately named God’s Acre surveys the happenings of student life. It depicts the impeccably white Congregational Church flanked by trees flooded in autumn shades, the Wayside Cross standing tall in the foreground. But perhaps the best part of this masterpiece is it isn’t so new.
Former principal Tony Pavia played a major role in the restoration of God’s Acre, “When I was at Stamford High, I used to teach about murals,” he said. “When you go to a place and you sit for a long time, you just start to look around and notice things. You look at these pieces of art, and you begin to absorb things on a subconscious level.”
Betty Branch, an avid patron for the arts and chairman for the Committee of WPA (Works Progress Administration), was also one of the leading forces behind the mural’s restoration. “[God’s Acre] is believed to have been commissioned in 1952 for an enlarged building of the First National Back and Trust Company of New Canaan,” she said.
However this would not become it’s permanent home. “After the successor to Union Trust had vacated the building, the premises were being converted into use as a restaurant,” Miss Branch continued. “The owners had no use for the mural and members of the Historical Society personally rescued the mural in 1999 before it could be destroyed.”
After the mural was literally peeled away within 24-hours of it’s demise and placed in the Historical Society’s vault, it faced a new predicament. At a massive 8 ft. by 22 ft, God’s Acre was left with no place to go. But Mr. Pavia had an idea. “No one could decide on a place to put it, when I said you can mount it at the New Canaan High School,” he said. “It fit perfectly. We stored it in the multi-purpose room starting in January. It was just rolled up canvas at the time. I was afraid I was going to get hit by a bus and nobody would now it was there!”
Justin C. Gruelle, the muralist behind God’s Acre, was an extremely talented watercolor artist who specialized in landscapes. During the Great Depression he registered with the WPA, a program designed to create jobs for craftsmen and others throughout the country.
And if you think you’ve never experienced a Justin Gruelle painting before, Mrs. Branch dares you to think again; “He was commissioned to execute a mural for the New Canaan High School library…which he completed in 1935.” Originally hidden in the back of the “study hall” and now proudly restored in the Wagner Room, this youth inspired treasure has been observed by generations of students since.
But even Gruelle’s renown ability would not make the next step any easier: fundraising. “The full cost to accomplish the goal was $23,000,” Mrs. Branch said. Many groups and individuals contributed including Mr. Pavia, The New Canaan Community Foundation (NCCF) (in particular executive director Cynthia Gorey), the class of 2010-2011, the New Canaan Historical Society, Mrs. Branch herself, among many others.
The money went to many aspects including restoring the tarnished painting, mounting it, and even putting IV protection on the windows opposite it’s location.
Mrs. Branch speaks specifically highly of Mr. Pavia’s dedication to the project. “He has been tireless in his efforts to raise funds to conserve and publicly display God’s Acre,” she said.
Students have been appreciating the mural just as Gruelle would have wanted. “I think it’s so pretty,” junior Emily Pugliese said. As a member of Youth Group (YG), she is particularly intrigued by the work. “It’s nice to have part of the school and town’s past hanging over us in the lounge.”
Freshman Brian Qela agrees, “It’s in a really awesome place. I love seeing it whenever I get food.” Senior Ryan Van Vleet finds it aesthetically pleasing. “It’s a good addition to school that helps beautify the walls,” he said.
After over half a century, one of Gruelle’s finest works has found a proper home. “I think the restoration was just wonderful,” Mrs. Branch added. “As we all know, God’s Acre today is the community’s “meeting ground” for Christmas and Chanukah. It becomes a magical place on Christmas Eve when thousands of New Canaanites gather for carols, with an accompanying brass band and a large fir tree aglow with lights. It’s a symbol of our downtown area. The cafeteria has become the mural room,” she said.
