A new mural created as part of Art Department adjunct instructor Julia Cocuzza’s course (ARTD 3414: Mural Art) during the fall 2023 semester was officially unveiled on January 30 in the Leonard & Claire Tow Center for the Performing Arts. A team of 13 undergraduate students spent the first half of the semester doing research, brainstorming, and creating visual materials that eventually led to the mural’s design. The participating student-artists included Mawada Ahmed, Juliet Dakin, Latifah Ford, Noah Hinds, Shuqi Li, Kevin Molina, Christina Nguyen, Jose Romain, Gabriela Suarez, To Uyen Thai, Vu Quyen Thai, Filip Timerman, and Kyra Zelaya. President Michelle J. Anderson views the mural that now graces the Leonard & Claire Tow Center for the Performing Arts. President Anderson praised the work of everyone involved at the dedication ceremony. “We are very proud of this team of student-artists. They really rose to the creative and physical challenge, and their hard work will impact this campus for years to come,” Cocuzza said. “I am very happy with what we created and how it looks in the space. Mural art, to me, is an expression of affection for anyone who sees it, so I hope now and in the future that everyone attaches their own meaning and connection with it.” Associate Professor of Art Derrick Adams who helped the students with the project talks about the mural at the dedication ceremony. Cocuzza explained that once the design was reviewed and signed off by community partners, the second half of the semester was dedicated to fabricating the mural to size as a group in the Art Department’s painting studio. The finished mural was then installed by her and an assistant in mid-January. The process of finding themes also involved Dena Beard, director of the Tow Center, and feedback from the college community. A video of the fabrication process: This is the second mural of its kind. The first graces the Film Department on the second floor of the West End Building. The mural course will be offered again in fall 2024. (Left to right) Mawada Ahmed, Juliet Dakin, Latifah Ford, Jose Romain, Adjunct Instructor of Mural Art and Screen Printing Julia Cocuzza, Noah Hinds, Shuqi Li, and Kevin Molina stand in front of the new mural during the dedication ceremony. The special dedication event was attended by President Michelle J. Anderson, Provost April Bedford, Associated Professor and Dean from the Conservatory of Music Stephanie Jensen-Moulton, Senior Vice President for Finance and Administration Alan Gilbert, Art Department Chair Mona Hadler, Associate Professor of Art Derrick Adams, and others. The mural was created in partnership with the Department of Art, the Leonard & Claire Tow Center for the Performing Arts, the Office of the President, the Office of Finance, the Office of Diversity and Equity, and the Dean of the School of Visual, Media, and Performing Arts as well as with support from the chairs of the Theater and Music departments.
