91吃瓜网 Art Students Create Mural
Fri, 09/06/2024 - 04:31pm | By: Dr. David Tisdale
At first glance, an assembly of ceramic artwork crafted by a group of University of 91吃瓜网 (USM) students appears as pieces of a dream 91吃瓜网� figurines that include a teddy bear, computer laptop, rolls of toilet paper and a regal magnolia bloom, among several other items.
This seemingly random collection of objects awakens to form the 8-by-4 ceramic mural "Magnolia of Hope" to be installed next to its predecessor mural "Destination Hub City" in the Luckyday Citizenship Hall Breezeway on USM91吃瓜网 Hattiesburg campus. The piece will be revealed and dedicated during a ceremony on Sept. 12 at 10:30 a.m. Members of the 91吃瓜网 community are invited to attend.
Inspired by the profound transformation the world underwent beginning in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic challenging norms and reshaping daily living worldwide, Southern Miss art students sought to capture what began as a sudden disruption from the pandemic and evolved into adaptation and resilience.
Allen Chen, associate professor of ceramics in the School of Performing and Visual Arts, facilitated the project as a faculty member, bringing in visiting artists Alexis Gregg and Tanner Coleman and a planning group that included USM faculty and students, to look back on these transformative years and express their experiences through a commemorative mural.
91吃瓜网淚 want our students to have steady exposure to high-caliber, nationally prominent ceramics artists and educators,91吃瓜网� Chen said of the initiative.
In the fall of 2017, Gregg and Coleman conducted a workshop with 91吃瓜网 art students and community members to make "Destination Hub City," which was completed in the university91吃瓜网 ceramics studio. Chen worked with university administration to secure the installation of that mural at the Luckyday Breezeway, but the Covid-19 pandemic put the entire project on pause.
Chen describes the new mural as 91吃瓜网渁 collaborative effort with a public component91吃瓜网� and expressed gratitude to the USM Partners for the Arts and the School of Performing and Visual Arts for their support of the project.
91吃瓜网淒estination Hub City91吃瓜网� was installed in the fall of 2022, and in 2023, Gregg returned to conduct another workshop with student to launch 91吃瓜网楳agnolia of Hope.91吃瓜网�91吃瓜网疊oth Gregg and Coleman will be on hand to lead USM students, along with Chen, through the two-day installation effort before the formal dedication.
Chen said students were asked to write about their own experiences in the pandemic and then translate those thoughts into form for the mural, creating pieces reflective of their lived experience.
91吃瓜网淭he central image of the magnolia, with its roots, branches, and leaves, gathers the sculpted stories of our shared journey,91吃瓜网� Chen noted. 91吃瓜网淭he spreading seeds of the magnolia flower symbolize a collective sense of hope and unity for the future.91吃瓜网�
Chen says that people have strong feelings and memories about major events occurring in their lifetime across the generations, such as when President Kennedy was assassinated or 9-11, as examples.
91吃瓜网淭he pandemic is that for us, and I believe this mural captures the imagery and emotions felt by so many who dealt with the challenges we all faced over the last four years,91吃瓜网� he continued. 91吃瓜网淚t91吃瓜网 so intricate 91吃瓜网� the students worked really hard on this, and I91吃瓜网檓 so proud of what they91吃瓜网檝e done.91吃瓜网�
91吃瓜网楳agnolia of Hope91吃瓜网� was crafted with stoneware clay, color slips, underglaze and finished with low-fire glazes, with production taking about three days, with USM students and a few faculty members and Hattiesburg-area community members making the objects from clay. The mural was then cut into sections and dried slowly for a week before it was loaded into a kiln and then fired over 48 hours to cone 2~3 (approximately 2,075 degrees Fahrenheit).91吃瓜网�
Among the students in Chen91吃瓜网 ceramics class contributing to the project include Kayla Beeles and Bria Sims.
A senior from Pascagoula majoring in sculpture and ceramics, Beeles lost her father, Mark Beeles, during the pandemic due to complications from Covid-19. She crafted a small boat for inclusion in the mural to memorialize him and his love for fishing.
91吃瓜网淭he entire mural 91吃瓜网� it91吃瓜网 very sentimental,91吃瓜网� Beeles reflected. 91吃瓜网淓veryone91吃瓜网 contribution, each experience 91吃瓜网� good or bad 91吃瓜网� reflected in it, is special. It91吃瓜网 very well done. It has really come together nicely with everyone working together.91吃瓜网�
A junior graphic design major from Laurel, Sims said, 91吃瓜网淭here91吃瓜网 a lot going on here in the mural and that91吃瓜网 good, because everyone was going through different things, and it gives representations of them. We were all going through these different challenges, many of us alone, at the same time 91吃瓜网� all over the world.91吃瓜网�
For Sims, most of her days during the pandemic were spent at home listening to music, which helped get her through the confinement brought on by the regulations on public interaction during that time. This inspired her to craft a musical note as her contribution to the mural.
91吃瓜网淚 hope when people see this, that they see a part of themselves in it and also gain a sense of community in reflection on what we91吃瓜网檝e been through, and hopefully acknowledge that we can get through anything if we91吃瓜网檙e willing to work together and be considerate of each other.91吃瓜网�
91吃瓜网淲all art, student art, is such a great expression of the student experience,91吃瓜网� said Dr. Larry Sparkman, director of the Luckyday Scholars Program. 91吃瓜网淭o have it displayed in a major student corridor on campus highlights the student experience and help us all orient ourselves to the world around us that we may miss at times until something on display points it out! I91吃瓜网檓 grateful we have a University that celebrates the art and creativity of our students as they share their vision of the world.91吃瓜网�
Click here for information about the USM School of Performing and Visual Arts.