Students to paint mural on Holloway Commons wall

Walking through the MUB and Hoco lately, it’s been hard to miss the fact that the wall at the bottom of the stairs near Dunkin’ Donuts is being prepped to be transformed into a major piece of art. A space that has long gone unnoticed by students will soon be difficult to ignore, as it is slated to be the site of a new, giant mural.


Students Adam Hill, Lauren Karjala and Matt Gerding first thought of the mural last year, although the idea had been passed around for a while before that. The idea stemmed from the Petrella Student Art Gallery in Philbrook Dining Hall, which was started by Hill, a senior humanities major. In order to bring student art to Hoco as well, Hill had to be granted permission by many higher-ups.

 
“I think it’s a really cool thing for dining services and the campus architect to let us do this,” said Karjala, a senior studio art major.


Painting the mural will be a long process, and it will still be a few weeks before it is started. The final idea for the painting hasn’t been decided upon yet, although Hill, Karjala and Gerding know what they’re looking for.


“We want to keep it along the lines of a UNH theme,” Hill said.


Karjala also noted that they would like to incorporate a few different aspects of the university into it, such as sustainability, the local food movement, the dairy farms and themes of diversity.


They also said that they want the mural to be designed and painted by students. Students can submit their ideas through Oct. 5, although the trio plans on blending a few of the submissions together.


“I want artists to plagiarize each other’s ideas to create a final painting that everyone feels responsible for,” Hill said.


The group plans on having around 10-15 students working to paint the mural. Scott Ripley, the producer and director of multimedia services, wants to do a time-lapse video of the whole project, which he plans to put on the UNH website upon the mural’s completion.


The main thing that Hill, Karjala and Gerding are focusing on is the student aspect of the mural and the importance of students getting recognized for their work.


“We have a great art program,” Karjala said. “There’s not a lot of ways for students to show their art.”


They also stressed the importance of students being able to express themselves on a campus where that’s not always possible. Hill mentioned that while a student can hang a poster outside or put up a sign, it can quickly and easily be taken down.


“We want (the mural) to be on the wall for a long time. It’s rare for students to get to do this,” Hill said.


Hill and the others are also working on bringing student art to the third floor of Hoco so it can be displayed much like the art in the Petrella Gallery. They’re accepting both 2D and 3D submissions and the deadline for this gallery is Oct. 5. Hill, Karjala and Gerding said they are looking to spread the appreciation of art and let students display their work.


“We’re extracting highly under-appreciated talent from various student-artists at UNH and applying such talents in a way that can be shared with the campus as a whole,” Hill said.


Anyone wishing to be a part of painting or designing the mural can attend the weekly meetings with the group at 7:30 p.m. every Thursday in the lounge below Dunkin’ Donuts. They also accept submissions through their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/groups/unh.student.art/.