Teeland Middle School recently got a facelift

When Teeland Middle School students enter the cafetorium, they are greeted by a panoramic view of the Mat-Su Valley, from Willow to Sutton.

That's because Anchorage artist Steve Gordon recently completed the school's Percent for Art project, which includes 16 oil paintings featuring landscapes from around the Valley.

"The theme I was going for was sort of a field trip within the school," Gordon explained. "I was kind of trying to recreate the feeling of a field trip through the paintings. There are four glaciers that show the geological history of how they carved out the Valley, and the 12 other paintings show a little bit of science that helps explain what's going on.

"I picked images to paint that I liked visually, but also that tied together a storyline," Gordon said.

The Percent for Art program (see related story) requires that the construction of a public building include one percent of the construction price to be directed to art for the building. Teeland Middle School was built three years ago, and that's when the process of the paintings started as well.

"We had a committee made up of staff, parents and kids, which makes our district unique. Most other committees don't have students on them," Teeland Middle School art teacher Deb Myers said. "We wanted landscapes of the Valley and put out an RFP, a request for proposals."

Many artists responded. Myers said the committee wanted something bold for the new school, and that's exactly what Gordon delivered.

The paintings are each about three feet by eight feet, and feature bright, vivid colors. They represent areas from around the Valley -- some sweeping landscapes and other close-up shots of vegetation and forests. All the seasons are represented.

Gordon painted them in his studio in Anchorage, and brought them out to the school in January. He spent three days painting for the students at the school, talking with them about art as well.

"A lot of the students came up, individually and in classes, and talked about the paintings and how I do it," Gordon said. "When you know more, you see more, and when you see more, you are more curious about how and why things are the way they are."

Now, Gordon is finishing up a booklet that will go with the paintings. Each painting will be covered in the booklet, with descriptions of not only the art, but also the geologic process depicted in it.

"Science teachers will be able to use the booklet and a laser pointer and teach about geology, about plant life that is included, about geography," Gordon explained. "I wanted something that showed the changing of the seasons and the changes in the ecosystem of the Valley."

This is the largest Percent for Art project Gordon has done. He has painted singular paintings for the Anchorage Waste Water Utility, a school in Anchorage and a hall at the University of Alaska Anchorage.

The paintings aren't the last of the Percent for Art projects at Teeland Middle School. There are also old photographs of the city of Wasilla and the Teeland family hanging in the library that were purchased using some of the available money. After the Gordon project completed, there was still some extra cash available, and Myers said it will probably be used to do stained glass at the ends of the hallways.

"The criteria is that it has to last the lifetime of the building and carry over time," she said.