Across from the Biola Print Shop, a mural has surfaced. Students have devoted time and energy in class projects to filling the white walls of construction with a reflection of what the area has lost.

decorating the white walls

Through intensive planning and collaboration, several design emphasis art students have committed to decorating the white walls of construction. One particular mural, based primarily on a quote by Richard Feynman, reads “you are not nameless to me,” atop intricate designs and colorful patterns.

Noah Schrader, senior BFA with an emphasis in design, helped collaboratively formulate the piece and has stuck with the project through its hardest times. While he admits to having enjoyed the process of designing the image, the execution of the piece flows most breezily.

“We feel like at Biola there can be a sense of, ‘We’re this perfect community,’… but we’re not in a perfect community by any stretch,” Schrader said. “This is the only way to get to this part of campus, so we thought ‘How can we use this space to either provoke thought in other students or just consideration or reflection or introspection?’”

Months of Planning

The process of making the mural included months of planning, but the 10 students working on the piece expect it to be up until the construction finishes. While mildly overseen by Daniel Chang, professor of design, the project remains mainly student-led. Hannah Garretson, senior BFA with an emphasis in graphic design, joined the design group named Yeah Dude Studios to complete the project.

“We had super high hopes, and then we were going through the process and it was really difficult to land on what we actually wanted to say on the wall,” Garretson said. “Because it’s kind of a big statement, and everyone walks by and sees it.”

narrowing down the options

Adam Nienow, junior BFA with an emphasis in design, also admits the most difficult part of the process culminated in narrowing down the options for the design itself.

“Our professor Daniel had us all come up with what we thought would look good on the wall, and we all came together with a bunch of different ideas,” Nienow said. “We wanted to make a statement, but it’s hard sometimes to make a statement that’s not too harsh but also still says something and still rises up something very important.”

Ashley Cimino, senior BFA with an emphasis in design stressed the importance of understanding the relatability of the text as well as the images. Cimino believes the message should be just as important as how much work the team put into producing it. She stressed the ability of the wall in relating to everyone, and not excluding any Biola student who passes the previously dark hallway.

A Blessing and More

While the opportunity to create large pre-designed art proves a blessing, Schrader also admits to the very existence of the wall representing something much different to the art department as a whole.
“It already felt like a little bit of a low blow that our building was destroyed and pushed to the back, and I know the intent obviously, and Biola was not malicious by any stretch, and we need a new science building. But being able to be back here and be doing public art,” Schrader said. “This is going to be up for the next couple of years while this is under construction.”