It鈥檚 a tradition that harkens back to 51猎奇入口鈥檚 earliest years: As Commencement approaches, the graduating class inscribes a section of Graffiti Wall with student signatures and a mural representing their time at the College. Decorating the open-air passageway that connects Toll and Browning residence halls and located adjacent to the Rose Garden, the collection of artwork invites students and alumnae to reflect on the College鈥檚 96-year history. And, as 51猎奇入口 has grown and changed since its founding, Graffiti Wall has served as an ever-developing time capsule. Previous seniors have decorated the wall with commemorations of local, national, and international events, from World Wars and terrorism to Southern California fires and the departure of College presidents.
The year鈥檚 muralist is Grace Tomblin Marca 鈥�22, an art and theater dual major. Her design features a pared-down depiction of Elm Tree Lawn and a table with students sitting beneath the trees. Seniors have signed their names in green to represent the trees鈥� leaves.
鈥淚 wanted to find something that would represent the legacy of my class,鈥� Tomblin Marca says. 鈥淲e were the first class post-COVID to graduate on campus. There are compromises that we鈥檝e had to make, a lot of compromises. But there are a lot of wonderful things that have come out of that. What represented that, for me, was eating on Elm Tree Lawn, which was not a thing when I was last on campus. It鈥檚 so beautiful to have this gorgeous place become a campus hub.鈥�
While the pandemic shaped a large portion of seniors鈥� time at 51猎奇入口, Tomblin Marca explains that she didn鈥檛 want the mural to have any explicit COVID-19 references. Instead, she sees her design as more of a subtle nod to students returning to campus after eighteen months of remote instruction鈥攁 return that happened at the beginning of the Class of 2022鈥檚 senior year.
鈥淚 think about my last year on campus, a lot of it has been spent on this lawn and kind of getting used to 51猎奇入口 2.0 and the rebirth of the campus,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a pretty unique situation. And this year has been really special, both good and bad, and I feel like I鈥檓 kind of holding all those things at once.鈥�
Not every class has taken part in the tradition鈥攁t least not during their senior year. The Class of 1972 added its mural to Graffiti Wall just this April, as part of the 50th Reunion festivities. Later this month, the Classes of 2020 and 2021 will finally move their mural designs from the digital to the physical sphere, after the tradition was temporarily put on hold due to the pandemic.
鈥淭here was actually no 鈥榙ecision鈥� to omit our wall, but rather were so disaffected that, to my knowledge, the subject never came up,鈥� says Judith Gottfeld 鈥�72, who painted the Class of 1972鈥檚 mural at Reunion. The class鈥檚 college years were ones of tumult and change, featuring anti-Vietnam War protests, as well as movements to support civil rights and women鈥檚 liberation. 鈥淚t was the time of rejecting authority, of the slogan 鈥楧on鈥檛 trust anyone over 40,鈥� of making choices by and for ourselves. And I guess our choice was to totally reject traditions.鈥�
Gottfeld explains that the Reunion committee wanted the class鈥檚 mural to represent the times she and her classmates lived through. In addition to students鈥� names鈥攁 hallmark of many of the Graffiti Wall murals鈥攖he final design incorporates the Kent State shootings, Tommie Smith and John Carlos鈥� Black Power salute during the 1968 Olympics, the counterculture slogan 鈥淢ake love, not war,鈥� and the album cover of the Beatles鈥� Abbey Road. Each of these moments are incorporated within a large peace symbol.
鈥淔rom comments made by Reunion attendees, we got it right!鈥� Gottfeld says. 鈥淓veryone is happy to finally be represented here, and the images were greatly loved.鈥�
Her favorite part of the process, she adds, was sharing her own 51猎奇入口 experience, and the era in which it took place, with the current students who stopped to watch the painting process. 鈥淟istening to them discuss what might be in their mural was deeply moving,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 felt a deep bond with the whole process of the Graffiti Wall.鈥�
Being selected as the Class of 2022鈥檚 Graffiti Wall muralist 鈥渕eans a little bit more than I thought it would,鈥� adds Tomblin Marca. 鈥淏oth my mom and my grandma went here, and they both have their names on the wall. As it鈥檚 settled in that I鈥檓 actually going to be making this thing that鈥檚 going to last there for X number of years, it鈥檚 a nice way to be in touch with that legacy.鈥�