Mural mishap

Osborn ArtSpace Mural faces complications in first week.

Mural+mishap

Sabrina Merritt, Reporter

“Do not add any content.” These are the words students see when entering the Osborn Residence Hall ArtSpace. The statement is written across a large black sheet covering three canvases, originally intended for a collaborative mural.

Throughout the Sept. 3-5 fall orientation, Piper Passages and the first week of classes, the blank canvases slowly filled with artwork from the hall’s residents. As the mural began to fill, some additions included crude or explicit drawings. This led Residential Life to cover the canvases so as to “not offend any of the residents or guests.”

The ArtSpace was introduced to the hall last year as a place for students to create visual, digital and musical works of art. The space promises to offer various types of supplies, access to technology and even multiple instruments to Hamline students free of charge.

The space’s inaugural opening occurred in Sept. 2017, where students painted last year’s mural. Current sophomore Sophie Donahue, who frequented the space for its materials, had a positive experience of the opening event.

“It was great, everyone was just collaborating to make a big mural,” Donahue said. She thinks the space creates a place where art-inclined people can meet.

The idea for the space came from Administrator for Fine Arts and Art History Professor Aida Audeh with Assistant Dean of Students Javier Gutierrez. This academic year, the overall hall was intended to become an arts community for first-year students taking art-related First-Year Seminars (FYSems).

Though she is in a fine art FYSem, Osborn resident and first-year Mary Antrim was unaware her dorm had an ArtSpace before her move-in. Antrim originally saw students gather around the wall to paint or draw while listening to music in what she described as a “painting party.”

Over her next few days on campus, she noticed “the weird stuff appeared.” She saw “obscene” drawings on the wall and even saw a cookie attached to one of the canvases.

To Antrim, who uses the ArtSpace for her Fysem, the mural and its covering do not take away from the space’s full value.

“It didn’t change my opinion [of the space], I personally think it’s pretty funny,” Antrim said.

Assistant Director of Residential Life Yolanda Armstrong says ResLife’s intention is to repaint over the mural and place signs to regulate content drawn on the canvases.

“Dr. Javier Gutierrez and I gave instructions to the Heights Area Coordinator and Assistant Area Coordinator… to advise students of the expected and approved use of the space,” Armstrong said.

Antrim believes this is enough to prevent students from further explicit drawings.

“I think for the most part, now that it’s not open to paint on any more, people will respect it. I can’t imagine anyone going as far as to ignore what is written there.”

ResLife has not further commented on when the mural will be accessible again or what the specific regulations for what the wall will be.