When the opportunity to create murals for Diversity and Multicultural Student Services came, Una Kim, a professor in the School of Art and Design, knew it was the job for her.
With few supplies and space to create these murals, Kim applied to turn the project into an art class. The result was Art 399, or Murals A-Z, a four-week summer class with a workload heavy enough to fill a normal ten-week quarter.
During those four weeks, Kim and eight students created canvases for, drew up, planned and executed the eight murals. The results are a sight to be seen.
“Everyone put their heart and soul into their work,” Kim said.
Kim said that each student brought a uniqueness and their own cultural background to the table, the critical piece that made this class and project such a success.
“I wanted students to experience what is involved in murals from A to Z,” Kim said. From finding funding to filling out applications for grants and supplies, the students were involved.
Kim offered some direction and desires. She wanted the work to appeal to many and to embody gifting, not consuming. She also wanted pieces that spoke of the celebration of culture, rather than to institutional muses, such as Ghandi and Martin Luther King Jr.
As a result, the eight murals embody the cultures of Portland State University and what the DMSS is all about. Some of the students involved in the class included Akira Koenig, Katie Lewis, Emily Litterer, Michelle McCausey, Paula Pitcher, Pudy Rolom-Rivas, Thomas Sabatino, and Marilynn Snajder.
Katie Lewis, said she felt empowered by the project, and that she enjoyed being able to share her ideas with the group and have her input appreciated.
Michelle McCausey, a Fine Arts major, said the group wanted several different cultures in the images.
It took days to plan and draft the murals before ever taking paint to canvas.
“I learned that if the content of the course is meaningful, students will be fired up,” Kim said. “Students worked so hard. They worked outside of the class, numerous hours on their own. I didn’t demand this, but they were there to learn and continue.”
It was through this effort and care that the murals turned into the diverse art they are. The success of the class has even inspired future projects. Hopefully, next up is a project (and perhaps a class) for art to display in the Women’s Resource Center.
The murals were presented in an opening ceremony on Sept. 16, where free pastries and drinks were on hand. Kim and several of her students were also available to answer questions and share their experiences. Each piece embodies a different aspect of what the world has to offer, sharing in the celebration of cultures and art from A to Z.
The murals can be viewed on the fourth floor of Smith Hall inside the Diversity and Multicultural Student Services offices.
