Mural—Carousel Theatre

The Carousel Theatre was designed as a “convertible” theatre. It would be open air in the summer, and side panels of high-insulation material would enclose it for fall and winter productions. UT’s Joseph H. Cox, associate professor of fine arts, was asked to design murals for the exterior panels. A program note by Cox in the program for the November 1952 production of You Can’t Take It with You indicates that his aim was to “establish abstract motion, line, and color mass that would cause an observer to feel gaiety, anticipation, and festivity,—or, if he is a practical sort of fellow, he may wish to see in the designs the elements of a carousel in full flight.” “Technically,” he continued, he “attempted to relate the mural forms to the octagonal shape of the building so as to minimize the shape and give the appearance of roundness when the theatre is viewed from a distance.” The mural was painted on the panels with the help of volunteers, principally Virginia Glass, Elizabeth Green, and Helen Soper.