Meadows
Contributing Writer
For a liberal arts college, we seem to be conservative with our art. I remember walking through the former student center and seeing colorful walls featuring people with intersectional identities who shared similar experiences to myself on the wall between the C-Store and the Post Office. I felt empowered and supported through their narratives and accomplishments, as well as inspired by the creative projects designed by student organizations. The importance of sharing these stories and creating these spaces is integral to the conversations we have about student identity on campus. The loss of the Art Wall in the student center has revealed the lack of spaces to display and advertise art and resources created by students on campus. To avoid the absence of this type of display, we need to create several sustainable display locations across campus.
At this point you may be asking yourself why you should care about letting students put their art on the walls around us. Exhibiting student art in our daily academic environments inspires more creative channels of thought in academic spaces which improves student performance, encourages the creative and personal expression of ourselves as well as our fellow students, advertises the Studio Art Department’s curriculum similarly to the class posters in Kauke and helps facilitate conversations around developing our communal student identity. Studies show that having public art increases the aesthetic and cultural value of our campus, as well as the value of the education we receive. It teaches students and faculty how to approach problems in non-traditional and creative ways, increasing the comprehension of the subjects and topics taught. It also increases the attractiveness of our facilities to prospective students.
These display spaces also open the door to themed/sponsored curation. Beyond the exciting notion of a Halloween themed art wall in Knowlton, an example of a partnership with the Alumni Office may look like them using these spaces to exhibit the art of COW graduates. Events such as this signal to students that art is not only a viable career, but also provide networking pathways for students hoping to enter a creative field. This in turn encourages students to become active alumni, strengthen the alumni network and related resources for all students.
these displays provide opportunities for students to integrate their ideas and identities into the academic spaces they occupy daily which tackles some of our institution’s challenges to create an inclusive environment for students with marginalized identities. By encouraging personal expressions through art, we can examine the intersections of identity and their influence on academia and student behaviors. Having art walls in various hubs of student activity integrates intersectional understanding, conversations and education into our understandings of student life. They challenge students, faculty and staff to humanize and empathize with their peers leading to more interpersonal communication and comfortability in expressing oneself. They also normalize diverse identities without forcing BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, international, FGLI and other marginalized students to vocally expose their traumafor their classmate or teacher to learn how to treat them equitably.
As you walk through campus,, I implore you to look at the walls around you and observe what is present, but more importantly, what’s missing. Ask yourself: “Do I feel represented by the spaces I occupy?” and “Who isn’t being represented?”