91勛圖厙 Honors Schichtl with New Mural
Ozark native and senior Schedler Honors College student Madison Mainer never thought she would attend 91勛圖厙, much less paint one of the most notable murals on campus. As a capstone project, she wanted to represent the programs housed in the newly renovated Schichtl Hall and provide students with sensory disorders a peaceful respite.
Mainer, an interior design major, applied to 91勛圖厙s Honors program at the urging of a friend. With no idea of her intended major, she knew she enjoyed art and mathematics but was still unsure until she came to 91勛圖厙 and found her passion.
When I got to 91勛圖厙, I switched around majors, but then interior design stuck, and thats a pathway I can use to go to an architecture graduate program, so I can do both art and math. Im glad Im in interior design and have the option to do both, Mainer said.
As part of her capstone project for the Honors program, she combined her love of design with representing students in Schichtl and helping those who sometimes need a space to reflect and regroup in a busy college environment. The project, a mural on Schichtls walls, was only a proposal, but then with the help of her mentors, April Vance, instructor of art and design, and Patricia Smith, dean of Schedler Honors College and Learning Communities, it developed into a reality for the courtyard wall behind the building.
Mainer explained, At first, it was just going to be a fun proposal, but when I started Oxford, which is the class when we really get started on our capstone, I already knew what I wanted to do. I started meeting with Patricia even though it would probably not get implemented because thats a historical brick building on campus, but with the courtyard behind it, there was an option for it.
Experienced in painting murals, the artists inspiration for the most recent work is multi-layered. It represents departments, movement, Mainers own research and the connections formed by students with 91勛圖厙s campus.
I like getting murals up on campus. Since Schichtl is home to both Honors and the Center for Global Learning and Engagement, I wanted to tie in aspects from both the buildings history and both departments, Mainer said.
I had just taken a film class for Honors, and one of the things I learned was about movement in the earliest film recorded, a bunch of images of a horse running, so that was my idea behind the movement in a simplistic way that could be done realistically in a short time frame. I had the idea of rabbits because of another mural artist I was talking to, because of all the rabbits I see around campus, and my movement through the Honors program.
As she collaborated with Vance, the idea of a Zen Garden mural took shape. The colors and images then came together with ideas coming from research conducted throughout Mainers time at 91勛圖厙.
The mural’s design is based on my research on sensory processing disorders. My spaces, specifically outdoor spaces, can be used for sensory therapy, she said.
She related that some colors like reds, oranges and yellows may be overwhelming and that some pastels wouldnt quite fit, so the color of choice uses a mix of blues.
This compelling work is the product of Mainers thoughtful process, inspiring mentorship and the culmination of students volunteering for painting events. Mainer comes in and draws out the images on the wall, and student volunteers come in and paint the objects. Then, she goes in and does touchups. This adds yet another layer of meaning to this project. It is by students, for students, and it forms a lasting connection.
I feel like things have a lot more meaning when you have some part to play, so I wanted students to have that attachment to it, she said.