{"id":208910,"date":"2018-09-12T11:56:20","date_gmt":"2018-09-12T15:56:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/newscenter\/?p=208910"},"modified":"2018-09-12T11:56:20","modified_gmt":"2018-09-12T15:56:20","slug":"art-in-the-halls","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/newscenter\/2018\/09\/12\/art-in-the-halls\/","title":{"rendered":"Art in the Halls"},"content":{"rendered":"

Anyone entering Calcia Hall is in for a colorful surprise, thanks to a summer art installation project that has revitalized the banks of lockers lining its hallways. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhile we await next summer\u2019s scheduled renovation of Calcia hallways, it seemed like a great idea to leverage what we are best at \u2013 creativity \u2013 to perk up the building with an art installation,\u201d says Department of Art and Design Chair Livia Alexander. \u201cThe project offered the added benefit of giving our students hands-on experience working on the installation. They did a terrific job for all to enjoy.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The project was a true collaboration between faculty, staff and students, who had the opportunity to work as a team to experience firsthand what it takes to get a job done within a set time frame. \u201cThe students loved working on it and take pride in their work \u2013 and in their environment,\u201d says Visual Arts Workshop Manager and Adjunct Professor Gary Fredriksen.<\/span><\/p>\n

While the idea to paint the lockers was Fredriksen\u2019s brainchild, Art and Design Adjunct Professor Wendy Letven created the designs for individual lockers. With Alexander\u2019s approval, a team of product design students was hired to execute the project under Letven\u2019s guidance. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s so important to have students\u2019 input as much as possible,\u201d says Letven. \u201cStudent Sam Falzone suggested a color palette based on the brightly colored chairs in the classrooms. He did a nice mockup and I did a few more digital sketches using those colors.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Students, according to Fredriksen, were involved in the installation from concept to completion, beginning in mid-July and wrapping up the last week of August. \u201cI was able to take part in nearly every step of this process because it was so collaborative,\u201d reports product design major Nicholas Scudillo.<\/span><\/p>\n

Working against a tight deadline, students followed a strict process that began with making design adjustments on the computer, testing designs by cutting out templates and placing them on the lockers, which had been sanded and readied for painting.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a beautiful thing seeing all the steps of the process. After approval, we rolled up our sleeves and got to it,\u201d says product design major Falzone. \u201cLockers were sanded, tape and stencils went up, and paint rained down.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Painting began on August 17. \u201cWe used a direct to metal primer and the rest was painted with acrylic paint,\u201d Letven says. \u201cWe used a paint gun to get a smooth, brushless look.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPeeling the tape off was so satisfying,\u201d says Falzone. \u201cI\u2019m proud of the project because I believe we created an environment the art students can be proud of. The facelifts should surely inspire and motivate students.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Scudillo is just as pleased with the results, which have transformed lockers that he describes as \u201ceyesores\u201d into works of art. \u201cI anticipate a great response from my peers this semester when they see the lockers for the first time,\u201d he says. \u201cThey all pop and I think they\u2019ll leave many students with smiles as they walk through Calcia.\u201d \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Letven would love to see students involved in other projects like this. \u201cI think it\u2019s a brilliant idea to ask art and design students and teachers to design their own spaces whenever possible,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s clear now from the moment you walk into Calcia Hall that exciting creative work will be done in this building.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n