A simple staircase that leads to the second floor of the Administration Conference Tower is being turned into a colorful and vibrant mural. Starting in late August, students in ART 3723 (mural painting) began the first steps of the project, sketching out designs and planning out the composition. The artwork is a fusion of elements inspired by Texas Woman’s University campus, with references to iconic symbols such as the Blagg-Huey Library, The Little Chapel in the Woods and the beloved mascot, Oakley.
“In August, we were broken up into different groups and had to come up with a design. Then, we had to go in front of a committee [that consisted of the chancellor and the student union] and say our proposal,” explained Isabel Martinez, a fine arts student. “This design won and was inspired by the stained glass in the library and the little chapel. We’re planning on painting a fountain somewhere, including flowers from around the campus and hands to symbolize all of us coming together.”
Every class period, the students gather to work on the mural, breaking the area up into multiple sections. A few artists are tasked to work on each section to ensure the design flows seamlessly across the whole space. Michael Valderas, assistant professor of art at TWU, works alongside his students, offering guidance and support while keeping the project on track.
“We are putting in, at minimum, six hours a week,” said Valderas. “Then, on top of that, we’re coming in on Fridays and Saturdays and maybe Sundays. Depending on how close we get to the end of things, we will hopefully be complete by the end of the semester.”
Despite their dedication, the students have faced several challenging setbacks. The rough texture of the walls posed a major learning curb for the students and a string of bad weather days halted their progress. With only about 18 artists regularly working on the project, the workload has been daunting. To address this, the students reached out to faculty, TWU alumni, current students and the greater Denton area to ask for help painting the mural and, on November 9, held their first community day.
“We’ve had days when there are just not enough hands working and rain has been our biggest problem,” said senior Katerra Phillips. “Which is why the community day really helped out because we had a huge amount of people show up to help us paint and that’s why we’re as far along as we are now.”
Working together on this project provides the artists, not only artistic experience and confidence, but also the development of strong work ethic, problem solving and working around deadlines. The end goal for the mural is to provide a living legacy for the class and for the TWU community.
“The idea is to empower students,” said Valderas. “The dream is that they all come back one day, with their own families, and they can say that they had a part in it and that the [spread of artwork] continues to grow around campus.”
Bella Castillo can be reached via email icastillo4@twu.edu
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