photo courtesy of Charles Dunst ’18
Wednesday afternoon marked a long-awaited day for several students and spectators: the installation of the community mosaic. The following is an interview with Irina Rojas ’18, organizer of the mosaic that passersby can now view on the Opus 1 patio.
Describe your creative process with the mural. What were your biggest influences? What was you inspiration? Who else was involved?
The design is a collage that I put together based on the artwork of six other students: Jaleel Davis ’19 (Alexander Hamilton, the squirrel, athletic equipment), Gillian Mak ’18, Ellison Sherrill ’17 (background buildings), Ella MacVeagh ’18 (cows), and Annalise Curtis ’18 (dragonfly, submitted by her friend Monika Ryback ’18). Growing up, I really admired Frida Kahlo and vibrant Mexican art, so I was excited to see that their submissions were full of color. I personally believe that the more colorful, the better! I associate bright colors with cheerfulness, especially when we have mucky grey days trickling into April and May.
What’s unique about the medium of mosaics? Why did you use this art form?
Everyone can use tiles! Even if you think you are not artistic, cutting and placing tiles within the outline is just like filling in a coloring book. All the tiles are different shapes, colors, and textures; they blend in and contrast, yet they come together to make one beautiful piece in the end, like a metaphor for our community. We all come from different backgrounds, but we are all on one hill, supporting and challenging each other to achieve a common goal, perhaps as simple as graduating.
What was the most challenging part of this project? How long did it take overall to complete?
We started the mosaic in January and finished it yesterday! It took all semester! Each step had its challenges, from getting enough design submissions from students, to picking out the correct amount of colored tiles, and cementing it on the wall. Everyone was beyond cooperative, creative, and excited to help. This project could not have been possible without Student Assembly Leaders, Nadav Konforty ’20 and Gillian, Noelle Niznick, Director of Student Activities, all the students who spent countless late night hours on it, like Neema Lema ’17, and Genny Cohen ’21, and Physical Plant staff, Mark Kinne, Stan Segur, and Jim Bailey! Thank you!
Do you plan to continue working with this style of art in the future?
No idea! I will be in grad school for the next four years, so it is unlikely that I will take on another large project anytime soon. But, I certainly do envision myself missing the creative outlet and taking a guilty pleasure stroll into Home Depot to buy some materials and working on a small project for myself. I have much more to learn about carrying out such large mosaic projects. We had a professional help us! If I ever feel the community I am working in as a family nurse practitioner could benefit from creating a community mosaic, I would do it in a heartbeat, and reach out to the professional artist again to review the steps, and ask for help. But who knows!
What impact do you hope this mural will make on the Hamilton community?
The original idea of the mosaic stemmed from a conversation with Student Assembly as we looked for ways to create a space of healing solidarity in response to a challenging semester. The idea of using art to heal, and for self expression is not new. Creating community art has its own unique benefits in bringing people together and allowing for a space to create something alongside someone else; even perhaps to spark a meaningful conversation. We hoped that a semester long project that was open to the entire campus could serve as a platform for having more discussions about mental health, community building, and learning from others.
Once students learned the process, they could teach others, so it created a chain reaction of sharing a new skillset. Placing just one tile on the mosaic is just one of the ways to feel like we left our little mark on Hamilton, that we can look back on, and smile. Ultimately, I hope that passing by the mural brings others, from current students, future, and past students, as well as faculty and staff a sense of pride and coalition. They are the ones who make such projects possible.
What was the most rewarding part of this project?
I was most happy this Wednesday, the first day the mosaic was completed, and the sun came out, and people enjoyed mango brie paninis during lunch, while some students played their clarinets, and that is exactly what I envisioned.
Just people enjoying some relaxing time with friends, even if they were doing readings, with some art that they contributed to in the background. I hope it made them feel special.
