When visual arts professor Daniela Marx agreed to lead a team to design the newly constructed “MoWall,” she knew she had a daunting task ahead of her.
Since the beginning of the semester, the once bare wall built to contain the construction of Monroe Hall has progressed from an empty pink canvas into a blossoming work of art for the entire Loyola community to enjoy.
Though initially hesitant to take on the project, Marx said she knew that she had the opportunity to help beautify Loyola’s campus while also giving her students a chance to learn, grow and illustrate what Loyola means to them.
“When the provost (Edward Kvet) approached me, he essentially told me to paint whatever I wanted. We knew that the wall was going to be up for at least the next five years, so we wanted to make it look as good as possible. Since this is such a big year for Loyola, we decided to focus on the 100-year Loyola anniversary, as well as the new building,” Marx said.
In order to illustrate these concepts, Marx and professor Nancy Bernardo, who co-teach Graphic Design Four, split their class into three groups of four people, with each group being responsible for four layers of images.
Each layer, represented by a different color, demonstrates a unique idea about not only Loyola’s past but also its future.
These ideas range from New Orleans, which is the first layer, to education, dance, celebration and more.
“We still don’t have the entire design set in stone, so it’s been an interesting process seeing this project evolve. We’ve got 12 designs and 12 colors, so we’re still trying to make everything work together,” Marx said.
Besides gentrifying the wall, the project has allowed students to learn in a unique and interesting fashion. According to Rachel Guillot, the project has taught the class to learn to work in a group environment, which has made the overall quality better.
“It’s interesting working with other people. As a group we’ve all learned to help each other and work with each other. It’s been difficult at times, but overall it works well,” Guillot said.
Along with the physical wall, Marx’s class has also built a WordPress site which details each layer of the wall, along with how each idea came to fruition. This also enables students to share their ideas and opinions on the wall, give suggestions and learn up-to-date information on the wall.
The class is expected to finish the wall on April 12, just in time for Loyola’s centennial anniversary.
“The whole purpose of the MoWall is to commemorate the 100-year celebration and the new building. But most importantly, this wall is about celebrating Loyola’s future as much as we celebrate the past,” Marx said.
Patrick Rafferty can be reached at [email protected]
Visual arts graphics senior Christopher Codd paints on “MoWall” Monday, March 5. Students and faculty have contributed to the wall. (Sophia tan/contributing photographer)
