Artwork adorns McCracken Hall

As class projects go, this one is definitely on the ambitious side.

Brian Schauer, a graduate student in art education working toward his teacher certification in secondary education, had to create a project for one of his art classes. Instead of doing a painting or drawing, Schauer used the resources of elementary education students who have to take an art class as part of the curriculum.

The students created sculptures and other art pieces that were placed inside McCracken Hall yesterday.

"There was no theme to the pieces. The only requirements were they had to be inside the building and that they had to be site specific," Schauer said, meaning the artwork belongs in some way in the room.

The artwork, which professors in McCracken did not know was going to be placed in the building, will be in various spots.

"Some of it will be in classrooms, some in restrooms. But it will be placed so that it does not disrupt the flow of traffic," he said.

One of the featured pieces of art is a "combination piece" composed of a hat, gloves and a scarf. It will be placed in an out-of-the-way alcove in a woman's bathroom. This piece, along with many others, was made of rolled-up newspaper.

Students also created "overhead sculptures," which can be seen on ceilings throughout the building.

Schauer said that although this is the first time anything like this has taken place, he would like it to continue in the future.

"I definitely want to do this next quarter. It's more than likely we'll do something like this again," Schauer said.

-Craig Rimlinger