Paintings, poetry and 3-D sculpture will adorn a cultural center inside the CU-Boulder University Memorial Center this spring, and the project's coordinator is looking for students and local artists to contribute.
Shanti Zaid, a sophomore ethnic studies and history major, is hoping the project he proposed will "provide a space within CU-Boulder for students to express themselves artistically." The display is planned to be completed by April, and will hang in the Dennis Small Cultural Center in the UMC.
The work's theme will be guided by a lyric Zaid wrote while composing a hip-hop rhyme: "Expression does for the mind what instruments do for symphonies." Zaid got the idea for the project when he saw art depicting nature and cultural themes on an underpass near a Boulder shopping center.
"I don't know the history behind (the underpass art), but it seems that children were involved in it," he said. "I thought, 'CU needs something like this.'"
Submissions of poetry and artwork in foreign languages are encouraged. Zaid hopes the result will be as multicultural as possible, with creative expression of politics, diversity and other themes.
"I envision this mural to be a collage of talents, styles and disciplines," he said. Zaid said he will have little impact on how the finished project looks. "I like murals, and it's something I'd like to see."
"The neatest thing about it is that it's a student-driven project," said Leasa Weimer, assistant director of student programs and supporter of the Dennis Small Center's mission.
The center bears the name of CU's director of human relations and cultural affairs from 1960-1978, who worked to help students and baby直播app understand and appreciate cultural differences. Small was honored at the center's dedication ceremony in the fall of 1986.
"The center was named in tribute (to Small), and his dream of a university without prejudice and discrimination," Weimer said.
Recent vandalism of cultural artwork at a student group office in the UMC illustrated the risk that some might not hear the project's message.
"(Vandalism) is a concern of mine, but it's a necessary risk. Any time you put something out there, you run the risk of having it messed up," Zaid said. "When you put it in public, you trust that people have a certain degree of respect."
Several student organizations hold weekly meetings in the center. As renovation continues on the UMC building, the center will eventually move from room 305 to a new location on the fourth floor. Weimer said that a re-dedication celebration is being planned.
"The center is a place for students of color -- it's an inviting space for individuals and cultural programming," she said.
Program directors are hoping to use a grant from the CU Parents Association to purchase a display case and student-selected art for the center.
"We'd like to make sure that the students are invested in the space," Weimer said.
People interested in contributing work to the art project should contact Zaid at d_shi99@hotmail.com.