If you have spent any time in the Recreation-Fitness Center this year, you have probably noticed a new mural hanging in the lobby. Liz Gunden, a senior art major, took on the task of creating this mural in conjunction with the Maple Scholars program in May.
“The assignment was pretty open-ended,” Gunden said. “I was asked to create a mural that communicated interconnectedness and a sense of diversity.” Gunden settled on modeling the mural from a photograph she took during her SST service assignment in Nicaragua. It depicts a number of smiling young children, both in a close-up shot of faces and a silhouetted image of children walking hand-in-hand.
Although the whole process took Gunden about two months to complete, most of the time was spent researching famous murals, collecting historical perspectives, drafting ideas and preparing the surface. The mural is constructed out of three plywood slats combined into a 12×8 foot surface. Gunden intentionally favored warmer colors—primarily shades of purples, reds, and oranges—to use for the mural.
“I tried to use lots of different colors—in the faces especially—to represent different backgrounds and relate to my theme of diversity,” said Gunden.
