There’s a new art piece in Building 1 at 太阳城集团博彩’s Quad-Cities Campus –an 8-feet by 16-feet mural titled, “无限的.” It was painted by 10 art students with the help of faculty members Terrance Gray and Annie Oldenburg and hangs in the lower lobby above the registration counters.
This project started in Fall 2022 when BHC President Tim Wynes sent an email to Gray and Oldenburg asking about artwork for the administrative offices.
The two discussed a plan for a project and decided it would be a good opportunity for Gray’s painting class with assistance from Oldenburg’s 2D painting class.
They decided on doing a mural that was movable instead of a painting directly on a wall.
“One thing that drew us to do panels was the opportunity to change out the space over time,奥尔登伯格说. “The next generation of students will have the chance to participate in a project like this one.”
寻找合适的学生
The search for students interested in participating began with an application. The students had to be committed to the project to be considered.
“We were really trying to be fair, from the talent to the drive. This was a really big project, and I needed people who were going to be dedicated,格雷说.
The requirements included a one-page essay on why they should be chosen for the project, 一些绘画样本, 还有一个缩略图样本.
申请表一交上来, 这10名学生被选中了——阿隆德拉·阿雷格里, 恩多赛特, 布鲁克手枪, 夏奇拉萨那Gbenyo, 美女哈特, Hailey马丁, 阿提克斯诺曼, 佐伊彼得森, 萨凡纳·普拉特和艾玛·舒梅克.
作为教师, both Gray and Oldenburg couldn’t help but look at it as a learning experience for the students.
“I think one of the best parts of the project was the students having to communicate with each other. Talking to each other, combining ideas and working things out. 下次他们要这么做的时候, they will have a better understanding of how it works,格雷说.
协作是关键
The collaboration was a big part of why the students enjoyed working on the project.
“What I liked most about this project was collaborating with a group of very talented artists and putting all of our ideas together into a piece we can say we all took part in,布鲁克·盖特说.
Each student made a proposal to present to President Wynes. 从那里, the students were put into two groups to come up with two ideas that were blended together for the final project.
“我们必须学会如何交流我们的想法, even branching out into smaller groups at times in order to better convey our concepts,佐伊·彼得森说. “幸运的是，它最终得到了回报, as we were able to create a meaningful and engaging mural that we are excited to share with the community.”
完成壁画
With the approval from President Wynes, the students got to work building the panels. They primed each of the panels before others sketched out the design.
Once the sketch was laid out, it was all hands-on deck according to Gray and Oldenburg. Each student had their own strengths and that is how they tackled the big project.
“Shakira’a is really good with portraits so she began with the people. We had four students working on getting the books laid out,奥尔登伯格说. 阿隆德拉开始着手, 阿迪克斯用齿轮做背景, 艾玛开始写短信. 我们到处都是人.”
对学生来说, not only did they get the experience of working on a large project, they now get to see their work hanging up for all of the campus to see for years to come.
“I feel beyond blessed to have something that I helped work on being displayed in Black Hawk,艾玛·舒梅克说. “This mural tells a story to each of us who worked on it, so it is amazing that others get to interpret their own story from it as they walk by it each day.”
另一位学生艺术家, 伊莎贝拉哈特, says every student should get involved in a project like this if they can.
“It’s a good way to make friends and to share ideas with others,” she said. “Although at times the mural was overwhelming it was a very fulfilling process that if given the choice I would do it again.”
President Wynes says the mural is exactly what the college needs to help motivate students.
“书名说明了一切——‘无限’.’ Our art students have beautifully captured the impact Black Hawk can have on individual lives and as a result, 整个社区.韦恩斯说. “Professors Terrence Gray and Annie Oldenburg gracefully guided their artists to a beautiful, 持久的结果.”