Eastern Federal Corporation's new Royal Park Stadium 16 Theater in Gainesville, Florida features a one-of-a-kind, large scale, mixed-media artwork in the main lobby area. This unique "supergraphic" that decorates Gainesville's newest movie theater is the result of a joint effort by Eastern Federal Corporation (EFC), the Alachua Astronomy Club, Inc. (AAC), and Tarpon Springs artist Elizabeth Indianos.

Eastern Federal Corporation's finishing construction on a movie complex with sixteen stadium style theaters. This new theater complex is on Newberry Road in Gainesville, Florida, at the site of the former Royal Park Theater. The novel piece of art in the theater lobby shows Eastern Federal's continuing commitment to combine fine art, commercial and community interests.

The lobby of the new theater contains a very large, architectural feature than combines astronomy, mythology and art. This feature, called by the artist a "super graphic," will give this Gainesville complex an appearance unique to theaters in the southeastern United States.

Eighteen feet over the center of the theater lobby hangs a large, four-sided box—fifty feet long, eight feet wide and eleven feet high. Four large scale, mixed media "murals" decorate the four sides of the rectangular box with nearly twenty mythological constellations. Multiple, colorful overlapping images create the illusion of action and motion in many artwork figures. Fiber optics makes the brighter stars glow and shimmer. Reflections of the mythic figures from mirrored lobby columns add to the heavenly entourage. Indianos calls her artwork "Mythic Constellations."

Scattered around the horizon line of this decorative building feature are also several "terrestrial objects" familiar to Gainesville residents. These include University of Florida buildings (Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, the O'Connell Center, etc.) and other city structures (Sante Fe Library, Hippodrome State Theater, etc.).

A large space mural also decorates the rear wall of the theater lobby. Titled "Space Bouillabaisse 2000" by the artist, this graphic shows the Earth (and Florida) in the foreground with a combination of different celestial objects filling the great void of the heavens. Some objects remind the viewer of ringed planets, planetary satellites, comets or galaxies. The mirrored ceiling next to this mural confounds the eye with beautiful and colorful duplicate images of the stars and heavenly objects.

Several members of the Alachua Astronomy Club, Inc., a public, not for profit group of volunteers, developed the design concept and layout for the artwork figures and rear mural. These club members also interviewed Florida artists and theme park designers who could carry out the club's design.

Artist Elizabeth Indianos

Based on the Alachua Astronomy Club's recommendations, Eastern Federal Corporation chose Tarpon Springs artist Elizabeth Indianos to create these large scale artworks. Indianos a University of Florida alumna, has been creating art for public spaces for more than twenty-five years. Her large scale works appear at the Tampa International Airport ("Birds Leaving the Earth") and in public and private collections throughout the country.

Indianos enjoyed imagining how early star gazers might have invented the first mythologies. Using her artistic talents, she created novel figures that revitalized and made hybrids of the ancient myths. This artwork is thus a modern day mixed media interpretation of the mythologies invented by humans who populated the ancient Mediterranean world. Some images, such as Virgo, are creations based on sixteenth century artists like the Italian, Renaissance painter Raphael. Others, like Ophiuchus the Serpent Bearer, remind us of ancient Greek sculptures belonging to the Laocoon group. And one figure, Draco the Dragon, appears as a version of Florida's "modern dragon," the alligator.

A dedication and information sign, designed and written by several Alachua Astronomy Club members, will hang in the lobby. Titled "Actors on a Heavenly Stage," it provides a brief description of the main artwork and those who helped create and implement the design. The club is considering publishing an information pamphlet next year that will provide additional details about this most unusual artwork project.

Story telling today is done on a grand scale at the movies. However, the roots of this ancient art form started when humans looked up to the stars and saw a rich mythology that reflected life on earth. Here ancient humans invented their first heroes and heroines imagined in the bright star patterns above, undimmed by city light.

This tradition continues in the artwork in the Royal Park Stadium 16 theater lobby where fine art combines with astronomy and ancient mythologies. The old legends remind us how it all began with pictures imagined on the night sky. Artist Indianos says she pays artistic homage to the collective history found in star legends. She also states her design contains local character. When first entering the lobby, high over the concession stand, appears a giant gator depicting the constellation of Draco the Dragon! In addition, artwork paintings of local landmarks at the bottom of the four box walls help cement the land to the sky above.

Eastern Federal Corporation is a mid-sized family business and has been a part of the Gainesville Community for thirty years, and in Florida for thirty-five years. Eastern Federal often develops lobby decorations based on interesting themes. The Gainesville Royal Park Stadium 16 Theater is their first theater that literally commemorates the birth of our "first stars" in this very unusual, large scale artwork.