OHRA 1980

King David

porcelain tile mural

The size is probably similar to the framed size of (OHA 2013) Zlata the Righteous of Bialystok and her son Liebl who lived in Berlin: 40 inches H x 34 W.

Based on a drawing Segan had made in Carbondale, Illinois, ca. 1976, the design of this was drawn by artist Akiva K. Segan on porcelain clay, then kiln fired by Robert Friedman (an undergraduate art major specializing in ceramics, and a classmate of Segan) at the University of Missouri Art School, 1978-80.

I forget if the pieces were cut into sections prior to or after the first kiln firing. After the initial kiln firing was done, Segan, assisted by Friedman, added color glaze to each piece for a second kiln firing. Afterwards Segan and Friedman mounted the finished pieces on a wood board.

The completed porcelain tile mural was exhibited at Segan’s M.F.A. exhibit in the Art School building art gallery, August 1980.
After Segan moved to Seattle, late August 1980, Friedman (now retired as an art instructor at Stephens College, Columbia, Missouri) arranged to have the tile placed in storage in Columbia. Now December 2019, Segan plans to see if he can locate the person who had stored the tile so as to find out if it’s intact and retrievable for donation to a site and installation, e.g., if in Columbia, at the Hillel Jewish center, or the synagogue.