By David Azrael, Mathew Olson, and Stephanie Snyder
Earlier this semester, Senate approved a proposal from the Art Collection Management Committee (ACMC, chaired by Dean of Faculty Pat McDougal and comprised of students, faculty, and staff) to change the on-campus murals process such that it is a more collaborative endeavor between the ACMC and the Senate mural reps. At the Senate meeting on Friday, April 5th, Senators David Azrael and Mathew Olson announced the approval of three new murals on campus—two new murals that will replace long-standing works, and one new mural in a previously unutilized space. These developments deserve a clear articulation of the new process, the new murals (and the artists behind them) and a description of what the new process means for on-campus murals in years to come. The new murals guidelines are posted on the Student Activities website.
The new murals process begins when a student contacts the Senate mural reps to submit their proposal. At this stage, Senate contacts the ACMC to learn the status of the desired space (there are some reasonable restrictions about where murals can be painted) and/or past ACMC decisions relevant to a given proposal. To ensure inclusivity, Senate mural reps then put out a public call for additional proposals for the same space, with a solicitation deadline. Once the solicitation period has ended, the reps evaluate the proposals and rank them in order of preference before attending a meeting of the ACMC where they present all of the proposals and advocate for their preferences. After the Senate mural reps advocate for their choices, the entire group—ACMC and senators—vote together to accept or reject proposals for each space by majority vote (the group can also vote to request that proposals be revised for reconsideration at a later meeting). It is the understanding of the ACMC that the student Senate mural reps’ preferences will be given preference and due consideration. Once a mural has been approved, the Cooley Gallery director, Senate mural reps, and the artist, work with Student Activities to coordinate and the implementation of the mural. Sanctioned murals will not be painted over for a three-year period unless damaged, or by vote of the ACMC and mural reps.
The three murals are all quite different but reflect unique qualities of the Reed experience. Santiago Leyba will be installing a dynamic abstract mural in the Gray Campus Center (replacing the large wall painting by Tessa Hulls). Leyba’s mural interrogates the liminal omnipresent space of mutual interconnectivity via the information superspeedway. From the artist’s statement: “The mural is a visually stimulating juxtaposition of abstract form, line, and color that is meant to reflect the structural components of the internet and other electronic devices.” Maria Maita-Keppeler will paint a mural in the lower level of the Gray Campus Center near the bookstore (replacing the Ben Linder mural also painted about seven years ago) Maita-Keppeler’s mural is a beautiful figurative panorama intended to “encompass the idea of metamorphosis and the human mind’s power of creation.” The theme of the piece is especially appropriate for the lower floor of the GCCs, a hub of student creativity home to the Print Shoppe, student publications office, and infoshop. The final mural will be painted by Austen Weymueller in Cafe Paradiso. Weymuller’s mural will draw on imagery of street scenes in Florence, Italy. Hopefully the murals will be completed during the summer.
It can be difficult to witness the departure of familiar things, and it’s important to the ACMC and the Senate mural reps that the Reed community understands that both parties are compassionate and aware of this. The reason that murals are given a “life span” is to ensure that multiple students are given the opportunity to create them over the life of the college. We don’t have a large pool of spaces, so rotating murals every three years is critical. Some extant murals have been up for much longer. Such is the case with Tessa Hull’s wonderful painting in the Gray Campus Center, part of her 2006 Studio Art thesis. When the mural was painted seven years ago, the ACMC guidelines guaranteed that it would remain in situ for one year. It has been a long time since it was painted; and now, with the acceptance of Santiago Leyba’s proposal, it’s time to bid Tessa’s mural a very, very fond farewell.
If you have more questions or would like to see images of the forthcoming murals, please come to the senate meeting this Friday at 4pm in the Student Union for a brief discussion. Cooley Gallery curator Stephanie Snyder will be joining us.