Neptune Student Designs, Paints Mural at Coke Plant
Neptune High School student Michael Becraft designed and painted this mural for the Coca-Cola bottling plant located on the Asbury Park circle.
By ANDREW CANGIANO
Michael Becraft, 17, who will be a senior at Neptune High School in the fall, designed and painted the mural which appears in the lobby of the Coca-Cola bottling plant at the Asbury Park Circle.
Employees at the plant got to see the colorful mural at the companys annual picnic last Friday, where an unveiling ceremony was held.
Becraft, who turned 17 on Saturday, has also received an early birthday present – a $500 college scholarship from Coke.
The theme for the mural was summer at the Jersey Shore with Coca-Cola.
He said his original concept was to have a beach theme with bottles of Coca-cola and another staple of the Jersey shore – Tillie.
His mom, Toni Gualario, suggested he add volleyball to his beach theme and he did – Coke bottles playing volleyball.
I think he really came up with the basis and I just helped him with it, Gualario said.
She said she is proud of her sons work.
He is very talented, she beamed.
After working 4-6 hours painting for a number of days he was able to finish the mural.
Although he has been doing artwork since he was young, Becraft said the project was the first big mural he had ever done.
The hardest part was [drawing] the boardwalk, he said.
Michele Bowens, the art instructor at Neptune High School, who has taught Becraft for three years, said the work he did on the mural could be a sign of future greatness.
I think he did a wonderful job, she said. One day hes going to be famous, and one day they can look back and say, This is where he started.
Patricia Regan-Macrina, the education and business development manager for Coca-Colas Asbury Park branch (who along with sales manager Maria Barriero judged the contest entries), said that Becraft did a thorough job of planning his mural.
She said his thumbnail drawing was selected as the entry that would become the mural because of the planning that went into it and because Becraft incorporated some of the activities Coca-Cola has been involved in this summer (such as volleyball – where Coke helped sponsor a tournament).
This took quite a bit of commitment, she said about Becrafts process of planning and creating the mural.
Coke does many projects with schools in Monmouth and Ocean counties, Regan-Macrina said.
However, this is the first time Coke has done an arts scholarship at Neptune High School, she said.
We certainly intend on doing more programs with the school, and others in the area, she said.
Leonard Cafone, Neptune High Schools department chairperson, said the soon to be senior is a representative of talented students at Neptune, especially in the arts program.
He said Becrafts work is an example of how the talents of an artist can be applied in the workplace.
Richard Allen, principal of Neptune High School, agreed.
I think its important to take art out of the classroom, he said. Theres real world applications to art in the classroom, so this is expanding the classroom.
Art isnt just a hobby, Allen said, it can be a career.
He also said the collaboration between business and schools can be successful.
I think the businesses and the school mutually benefit from a partnership and I want to thank Coca-Cola for making us a part of their organization, Allan said.
All of the participants in the contest, about 15, received two daily passes to Six Flags Great Adventure.
Becraft said he would like to attend an arts school for college.
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