Board Room, Old Main:
Commissioned by the government-sponsored Public Works of Art Project during the Depression, this 7-foot by 16-foot mural depicts the artist's view of Arizona history, specifically the influence of the Spanish conquistadors and padres of the Catholic Church. Joseph Henninger chose a triptych format to depict the influence of both groups on the Native Americans of southern Arizona. Henniger had difficulty finding information for this subject and complained about the "meager historical data" available, stating that he arrived at the subject by "pure conjecture."
In 1934 he wrote, "I have divided the canvas so that the bondage of the church is on the left side and the bondage of the Conquistador is on the right. I have placed the figure of an Indian well forward and almost center of the composition crying to the Great Spirit for relief from the oppression of both his physical life and his spiritual life."
Originally commissioned to hang in Matthews Library above the stacks of books, this mural and its companion, "Industrial Development in Arizona," are now located on the second floor of Old Main.