Frieze, a mural by Mark Wethli, was a collaboration between one of Maine’s most prominent public artists and Yarmouth High School students in teacher Ann Tarbox’s senior art class. Mark generously offered to lead a six-week class in color and composition. As the students worked on ideas for the mural they were inspired by the music of jazz artist Cecil McBee, who would soon be playing at a fundraiser for Yarmouth Arts. Mark liked the idea of relating the art to jazz. The students created a mock-up for the mural, which was then painted by Mark and his assistant on the walls. Mark did all of this for free.

About the artist: Painter and public artist Mark Wethli is the A. Leroy Greason Professor of Art Emeritus at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine. He retired from Bowdoin in 2023 after a long and celebrated career. He received his B.F.A. and M.F.A from the University of Miami and began painting realist interiors before moving to geometric abstractions. His work has been exhibited nationally and internationally in solo and group exhibitions, including solo museum exhibitions at the Portland Museum of Art and the DeCordova Museum of Art. His murals grace the walls of many public buildings throughout Maine.