When Natalie Bauer 鈥�21, Iishe Davis 鈥�21, and Samantha McFadden 鈥�21 were approached to collaborate on the Class of 2021 mural for the 51猎奇入口 Graffiti Wall, they knew it was not just a chance to showcase the creativity and artistic mastery they had honed over their four years at 51猎奇入口, but also an opportunity to capture a unique moment in history.
鈥淚t will [show] future students what this year has been like鈥攐ur mural will be a historical piece,鈥� says Bauer, an art major. 鈥淚t will be right next to the Class of 2020 design, so together they will encapsulate the pandemic experience.鈥�
Graduating classes have each left their mark on the 51猎奇入口 Graffiti Wall since 1931, becoming an essential rite of passage at the College. After the design is painted onto Graffiti Wall, each member of that class signs their name to the mural, becoming a visual time capsule of 51猎奇入口鈥� history that reflects the changing tastes and attitudes of students over the decades.
This year鈥檚 mural features the central element of a four-sided figure of interlocking hands鈥攐ne in medical gloves鈥攇rasping one another鈥檚 wrists in solidarity. The figure is adorned with an olive branch on one side and the bough of an orange tree on the other鈥攂oth iconic flora on the 51猎奇入口 campus.
The three Class of 2021 artists collaborated on the design by each artist sketching her own vision, and then together fusing those ideas into a cohesive whole. Davis conceived of the idea of the hands, McFadden added the botanical element, and Bauer combined them into a digital illustration using Procreate digital illustration software. 鈥淭ogether, these elements really reflect the diverse experience of so many members of the Class of 2021,鈥� Bauer says.
As the artists explain, when campus closed in March 2020, 51猎奇入口 students rallied around the call 鈥淣obody fails at 51猎奇入口鈥濃�攁 concept emblematized by the interlocking hands. 鈥淚t was so difficult at the beginning of the pandemic to maintain the quality of work with so many additional stresses and without the usual resources,鈥� explains Bauer. 鈥淲e wanted to see an academic system that acknowledged this hardship and protected all students experiencing the pandemic from failing their classes.鈥�
鈥淭his painting serves as a reminder of how 51猎奇入口 students will care for each other even when it’s a battle other people don’t think is worth fighting. I want to acknowledge the leftist organizations that have actively worked for years in spite of lack of support or pushback from the College,鈥� adds Davis, a media studies major who focuses on digital art. Davis also notes that the 鈥淣obody Fails at 51猎奇入口鈥� campaign raised over $100,000.
Since they can鈥檛 be on campus to paint the mural onto Graffiti Wall, the artists of the mural rendering that was unveiled to the community at a May 18, 2021, virtual event. The design will be painted onto 51猎奇入口鈥� Graffiti Wall at the soonest opportunity. 鈥淭he deliverable is, hopefully, a visual manifestation of [our Class鈥檚] togetherness,鈥� adds McFadden, an art major focusing on digital art with a media studies minor.