LSC whites out student expression

By Josiah Stewart
Critic Staff

An assortment of creative expression has been popping up on walls all over Lyndon State College’s campus in the form of painted murals that are the product of many hours of planning and inspiration.

So far the artwork has appeared in five different locations around campus.
Elizabeth Norris, Department Chair of Music and Performing Arts, explained that the project required students to come up with art ideas based on guerrilla, street, and graffiti art of the current century.

“The students had to draw it out and then stand in front of the class and explain what they wanted to do, and then we took all 22 ideas and then voted on them, and picked the top five, and then divided the class into teams,” Norris said.

The artwork can be seen in the stairwell going up to ACT 210 and 212, at the bottom of the spiral stairwell across from the library, right outside the library doors high up on the wall, and until recently by the elevator on the bottom floor of Vail.

Norris showed disappointment to find that three of the pieces of art have already been painted over.

Norris also explained that the students were given certain conditions when the project was first started.

“First the students were told that the art was ethereal, which means that it could very well go away, they could do no harm, it also had to respect diversity, and they had to keep it clean,” Norris said, “they also knew that I purposely did not ask for permission, because if you ask permission it destroys what it is you’re doing as graffiti artists.”

Although precautions were used to ensure that paint would not get everywhere using drop cloths and news papers, some of the paint managed to seep through and got on a carpet.

“I think part of the schools reaction is that we can’t let people paint things because they will make a mess. Life is messy and noisy, art is messy and noisy, and one of the things I discovered is that we are not used to that here,” Norris said.

The art that was painted over was of a covered bridge and two other abstract pieces that were by the elevator on the bottom floor of the Vail building.

“I don’t know who made the decision to paint over those pieces, I don’t even know if the president saw any of the art,” Norris said, “but I can tell you that at the end of her state of the college address, one of the things she said in her 'let's dream big' part of the speech, was ‘I picture artwork on every single wall,’ well how are we going to do that if there is someone on campus who makes the call about what is acceptable forms of art and what is junk…”

In the spirit of unity and artistic expression, students have placed their mark on LSC’s campus, an example of this being the U.N. symbol painted outside of the Library’s entrance.

It is not yet clear whether the rest of the artwork will be allowed to remain.