Cafeteria mural rich in art and history

A much-celebrated mural is being painted in the Maxwell Student Union dining hall at Georgia College & State University.

Assistant Art Professor Valerie Aranda mothered its creation, an undertaking that required a project assistant, Barry Horton, as well as 19 student artists: Angel Anderson, Corolene Bufford, Erin Watts, Sonya Delaney, Brandi Dent, Margaret O’Quinn, Jeremy Evans, Crystal Hall, Tessa Kellam, Peter Lawton, Rachel Lucas, Christopher Nunn, Lawson Rackley, Stephen Shaw, Megan Tiedeman, Mary Elizabeth Watson, Gail Williams, Heather Young and Vicki Childres. Professors Fadhili Mshana and Bill Fisher also assisted in the mural’s creation.

“In the mural we are attempting to reflect some of the history of the university, campus events, cultural diversity and, through portraits, a representation of the many people who have contributed to the shaping of the university formerly and currently,” said Aranda. “They include students, faculty, staff, presidents and administration.”

Spanning the entirety of the dining area, the mural features scenes that represent GC&SU history, culture and a sense of togetherness. The official theme of the mural is “Campus life and Community.”

According to Aranda, the development of the mural began taking shape in early June when she and her students, known as the MSU Mural Team, met for a brainstorming and design session.

The mural is not yet finished, but the artists are in the final stages of completing it.

The images that inhabit the walls at MSU are astonishing.

One impressive scene consists of the black-and-white portrait of a 1941 class sitting around the fountain in the President’s Garden, depicting the school’s history as a women’s college.

On the center wall of the dining room is a colorful image of various flags from around the globe, a fitting touch for a university which boasts students from every corner of the world, as well as a valuable international program.

“The intent and spirit of the mural is to reflect a sense of pride, identity and belonging,” Aranda said.

Students in the cafeteria give the mural two thumbs up.

“Personally, I think the whole starry night thing is the coolest,” said MSU diner Eric Lockeby. “I think most people like the picture of front campus.”

The MSU Mural Team took photographs of real students in front of Napier Hall and used these in creating the images of daily life at GC&SU. Also included as an integral part of GC&SU life are custodians, MSU cooks and, of course, construction workers.

“The people on the intersection wall are modeled after people on campus,” said muralist Angel Anderson. “It was a wonderful experience and people were excited about having their image on the wall.”

Gazing from wall to wall, one notices certain shades of expression that proudly display the contributions of individual artists melding into one collective vision.

“One of the greatest things about working on the dining hall mural is that we had many different artists working together, so we had this great mix of artists’ techniques that blended together nicely,” said Margaret O’Quinn, a senior art student who worked on the mural. “If one person was struggling with part of the painting, another could come in and add their own perspective. Where one person might have had a weakness, another had a strength, and vice versa.”

The team agreed the backbreaking work was well worth it, and they are proud of what they created.

“I’ve worked on two other murals,” said Anderson, “But one of this size is a first. It was a challenge, but I’m ready for the next one.”

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Sep 10 2004. Filed under Other. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry