A 1998 exhibition in the Computing Commons Gallery Plans became a catalyst for plans to produce a Photomosaic tribute to Barry Goldwater. Last autumn, from late-October through mid-December, the Computing Commons Gallery featured Robert Silvers' Photomosaic murals. Photomosaics(tm) are images formed from a series of smaller images. For example, Silvers created a portrait of Abe Lincoln from smaller images of Civil War photographs; Van Gogh's "Starry Night' was re-created from NASA images; and a One Dollar Bill was made from small images of world-wide money.

As the ASU exhibit plans advanced, Barbara Eshbach, Director of the Computing Commons Gallery, casually mentioned that it would be wonderful to have a portrait of Arizona celebrity Barry Goldwater. She wasn't entirely serious at the time, but a series of serendipitous conversations has lead to collaboration among ASU, the Heard Museum, and Robert Silvers to bring the idea to fruition. Silvers, a photographer at heart, responded enthusiastically to Eshbach's idea of creating a portrait of fellow-photographer Barry Goldwater. Susan Goldwater also was immediately excited. And the Heard Museum generously agreed to lend their collection of Barry Goldwater's photographs to be reproduced for the project. So, the portrait will be made from small images of Goldwater's own photographic work in Arizona, showcasing what he saw through his own lens.

The Photomosaic portrait will create a unique tribute, and it also will provide a legacy, as proceeds from poster sales will be set aside for ASU student scholarships. Silvers has generously offered to accept a reduced commission and to waive royalty rights. And ASU's Instruction Support is carrying out some of the preliminary production work. Two ASU students, Alex Grant and Sharon O'Campo spent three weeks at the Heard scanning the entire collection of Goldwater's 850 slides and 90 photographs at high resolution. Goldwater used many of the slides and photographs to illustrate public and classroom lectures. The collection shows some wear and tear, so scanning is followed by approximately two months of re-touching and re-formatting the digital files. O'Campo is meticulously filling in the scratches and blemishes of each image. Using Photoshop, she tests surrounding colors until she eventually finds just the right match. Once the image is re-stored to a clean, unscratched appearance, the images are saved as JPEG files and ready for the artist to go to work.

Silvers will create three mural-size prints (approximately 4' x 6'), one of which will be displayed in the Computing Commons Lobby. Another will be included the Arizona Science Center's permanent exhibit on optical illusion. And, the third will be available for temporary display in museums, libraries, or community centers throughout Arizona. Smaller posters (2' x 3') also will be printed and available for sale. However, there is one final step before the creation can begin. Eshbach is looking for sponsors to cover the production costs and the artist's greatly reduced commission. In total, she needs to raise $40,000. Each sponsor who contributes at least $3000 will receive a complimentary limited edition poster signed by the artist. For more information, and to help to support the Photomosaic tribute to Barry Goldwater, contact Barbara Eshbach at (480) 965-3609.