East Mills Mural Decision On Hold, Debate Continues

Following the open session, Croghan recommended the district have its legal representative, Des Moines attorney Drew Bracken, look into the matter.

In an interview last week, Aranza said he’d rather not see the matter become litigious but in his legal opinion, the district cannot remove or alter the work without first gaining permission from the original artists.

“Until they get permission from her (Teas) and, we think, the Erb family, which is uncertain with Dick having passed away a few years ago, there isn’t a whole lot they can do (to the mural),” he said.

The issue may be tabled officially but the mural debate continues to wage behind the scenes in this district that still occasionally struggles with a singular identity 10 years after forming from the Malvern and Nishna Valley School Districts.

Croghan declined to discus what if any role those issues or perceived former rivalries are playing out in the current tiff.

“We’re the East Mills School District and we have to work together to be the East Mills School District,” Croghan said. “We have to work at being one school district for our kids and out teachers. We have to operate that way. Every school has to operate that way and there are varying opinions on that as well.”

The district’s plan to remove the mural was actually set in motion nearly a decade ago by board resolution.
As the former Malvern and Nishna Valley districts officially consolidated in 2011 – after three years of whole-grade sharing – as East Mills, a plan was hatched to preserve and retain the two district’s historical artifacts, memorials and memorabilia separately.

The Nishna Valley Alumni Historical Preservations Society was granted ownership of any removable items such as awards, trophies and photos while a similar group, the Malvern Historical Society, took possession of its district’s historical artifacts.

East Mills School Board President Jan Zanders said the mural was exempt in the 2011 resolution but the district was aware how important it was and how delicately it would need to be addressed both figuratively and literally down the road. High quality digital photos were taken of the mural in recent years with the hopes of perhaps preserving the image on a canvas.

With the mural showing some wear and chips in places and being in an elementary school, where young students could damage it,  Zanders said the mural should be preserved, “one way or another.”

Neither Zanders nor Croghan, would share specific preservation plans nor their preference for the fate of the mural.
Croghan would only go so far as to say the district has three options: get rid of it completely, modify it or leave it as it is.

“Has that been decided on? No. Perspective and listening to people’s opinions is what’s going on now.”

Teas, a former student of Erb’s who went on to teach art for two decades in the Nishna Valley and then East Mills school districts, has strong opinions on the mural and its connections to the community. She said Erb recruited her to paint the Henderson corner of the mural because she attended the former school before going on to graduate from Nishna Valley.

“He wanted to show these four communities had given up their individual identities and formed a new community. For most of us, that school was a new community,” Teas said of Erb’s vision.

Teas saw the issue of removing the mural gather steam in recent weeks but she had long ago accepted that it would some day be an item of contention.

She doubts she will be asked to give her permission or input on the mural even if she has strong feelings about the idea of it, or any art for that matter, being altered by anyone but the original artist.

“I think it’s art and I don’t think art should be edited. Does that mean I would rather see it erased instead of changed? That’s not what I’m saying. I just think, I don’t know, it’s a sticky situation.”

Having grown up in Hamburg, Aranza, the attorney, said he was well aware of Nishna Valley’s unique history before being contacted by the Erbs. Nishna Valley was one of the first consolidated schools he could recall in southwest Iowa.

“They took four communities and schools along the Nishnabotna River and combined them into one district,” Aranza said. “This is much more than just a painting of a mascot.”

Aranza said his only intention of being at the July meeting was to remind the board of its legal obligations.

“I’d really like to see the parties get together to discuss ways to preserve it and still respect the district as a consolidated district,” Aranza said. “I think both sides can be accommodated and it’d be good for both.”

Over the years, Teas had heard comments that some in the community felt the mural wasn’t inclusive of what the East Mills district is now. She would not speak to the perception the debate could be the result of lingering issues related to the now decade-old merger of the two former rivals.

“I don’t think the mural is specifically about whatever perceived rivalry there is,” Teas said. “But I think that sometimes when something like this comes up, it does stir those things up.”

Teas declined to answer when asked if she would consider legal action if efforts are made to remove or alter the mural.

“What I will say is that my involvement in the district has been my entire life,” Teas said. “I grew up attending Henderson, I graduated from Nishna Valley, my family moved into the district so our children could all graduate from Nishna Valley. Obviously I came back as an instructor and stayed until my retirement. So, I still have a lot of loyalty and interest in it being a successful district. Nothing about these kinds of conversations has a positive impact on student education, which has to be our goal.

“I hope it doesn’t come to me having to make a comment about any of that.”