The Department of Art and Design and the Art Education Club hosted a Dedication of the Collaborative Judy Baca Mural, Tuesday, October 27th, 2009 in the Camden Carroll Library.
In the spring of 2008, MSU art education and studio art students worked and learned alongside renowned Latina artist Judy Baca. Through the leadership of mural project directors Emma Perkins, Assoc. Professor of Art Education, and Jennifer Reis, Asst. Professor of Art and Gallery Director, the mural was completed and installed with the help of Susan Hawkins and Joelle Schultz, graduate students in the Department of Art and Design, in August 2009. A presentation on the mural project was presented at the 2009 National Association of Art Education conference.
Under Ms. Baca’s direction, the students developed themes and mural composition and style. First students identified issues and events in their life specific to contemporary Appalachia, creating what the lead artist called a “Wall of Meaning”. These individual thoughts were then grouped into reoccurring themes, and students created symbols to translate them into visual language to develop a mural composition. An overriding concept of the mural focuses on the sense of place embedded in each student and their expression illustrated in part by the images of mother earth and nature. Symbols like the trees represent the strong family connections that support art and education, and the lemons on the right side allude to making the best of life’s challenges
Judy Baca’s visit was sponsored by MSU's Cultural Studies Program and Department of Art with generous support by The Buckner and Sally S. Hinkle Endowment for Humanities, MSU's College of Education, Women's Studies Program, Department of Theatre and Communication, Department of English, Philosophy, and Foreign Languages, Department of Sociology, Social Work, and Criminology, Office of Marketing and Communications, Multicultural Student Services, Cultural Diversity Initiative, and the Kentucky Folk Art Center. The book signing was supported by MSU's University Bookstore. The reception is sponsored by The Morehead State Universities Department of Art and Design, The Art Education Club and the Camden Carroll Library. The Camden Carroll Library is located on Morehead State Universities Campus at 150 University Boulevard. The library is open Monday through Thursday 7:30 a.m.-11:00 p.m., Friday 7:30 a.m.-6:00 p.m., Saturday 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m., and Sunday 1:00 p.m.-11:00 p.m. Any questions or comments, call Whitney Sibcy, (513) 594-1276.
