by Amber Neri
Staff Writer
Imagine a wall of art encompassing many different cultures and unique ideas at one time. Next imagine that very same wall speaking to viewers not by sound but through images. These images would depict the numerous assets of our diverse campus, and they would also be a tribute to the greatest race of all time, the human race.
This wall, or mural as it is officially called, will undergo the artistic processes necessary to breathe aesthetic life onto the ULV campus very soon. With conceptual designs by graduating seniors and art majors Lisa Scott and Yasu Nagasawa; this mural is a dream about to come true.
As part of an independent study funded by Associated Students Forum and the Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department, the senior art students will be furthering their own artistic skills.
The old mural was taken down due to the construction of the greenhouse, and the new mural was Scott’s idea.
“I wanted to do a mural because I was involved in working with graffiti artists over the summer. I feel it will be representative of the changes taking place on the ULV campus ethnically,” she said.
Scheduled to be started on March 1, depending on the ULV Maintenance Department’s pending paint job and greenhouse construction, the mural will be going up along the new greenhouse and Student Center wall.
According to Brian Worley, director of facilities management, discussion still needs to take place as to exactly where the mural will be placed.
Art students and anyone willing to donate time and energy are invited to get involved in this effort by painting and supervising once the project begins. This in turn will help to promote art and cultural awareness on campus.
Assisting with her own enthusiasm and artistic abilities, freshman art major Kelly La Plante is excited about the project.
“I am going to be helping with painting and supervising. People should get involved because it is something that we hope may lead to establishing an artistic community,” La Plante said.
The approximate completion date is tentatively set for May 22, in time for the Senior Art Show.
Nagasawa, designer and artist, looks forward to the mural being started and completed.
“Seeing it will be believing it. It’s exciting because we are planning to work with many, many students who are art majors. It will take the whole spring semester, and there will be lots to see.”
Historical figures, people of different cultures and ethnicities; a depiction of the universe and planets, a variety of foods, agriculture and environmental awareness, along with history itself will compose this culmination of ideas, talent and hard work.
The mural will consist of plenty to read and look at. According to Nagasawa, “The main point is about the school experience with different cultures in school and the United States.”
A symposium featuring four Los Angeles muralists is going to be taking place at on February 27 at 6 p.m. Mural painting in Los Angeles will be the subject. The artists include: Elizabeth Garrison, Victor Henderson, Noni Olabisi, and Roberto Rubalcalva.
