LEBANON VALLEY COLLEGE
Quilted Cultures
CELEBRATING DIVERSITY ON CAMPUS THROUGH CERAMIC MURAL MAKING
In the spring semester of 2022, I joined Sculpture and Ceramics Professor Karen Rich Beall to co-teach ART 200: Ceramic Studio: Mural, a 3-credit intensive exploration of ceramics and mosaics as contemporary artistic practices. The course was created in conjunction with the Lebanon Valley College Division of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusive Excellence with the intention to create a public art installation on campus which celebrates inclusion and diversity. The students began their mural making journey by learning the principles of community art making which involve gathering input from a identified community in order to surface generative themes from which artists can design and create works of art which represent the collective consciousness of the group. The students created a survey which they conducted with fellow classmates, faculty and staff on the LVC campus. Using the data from the survey, they each created and presented a mural design to their peers, LVC faculty, the Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusive Excellence, the President of the College, and invited community guests. All parties voted on their choice of design and the final design, “Quilted Cultures” by Amelia Mantione, was elected. The students then created the ceramic emblematas and mosaic panels that were then installed as a “quilt” on an interior wall of the Mund Building on campus which is a central hub of student and guest activity. The mural was dedicated on MLK Day 2023 and is a beautiful expression of the inclusive environment which these students work hard to foster.
