Student Artwork Decorates 90-foot Construction Walkway at RIT

Construction doesn’t have to be ugly, say students at Rochester Institute of Technology. While the new Gordon Field House and Activities Center is being built, a 90-foot-long covered walkway has been constructed to keep the quarter mile open for pedestrian traffic.

Students saw the construction walkway as an opportunity to make art out of a transient space. A diverse cross-section of students has transformed the tunnel.

On Thursday, Oct. 10 at 12:15 p.m. the spruced-up walkway will be unveiled.

The project, organized jointly by Paul Grimes, CIAS Student Government senator and chair of the Public Arts Committee, and RIT facilities management, seeks to broaden the amount of student artwork on campus.

"We realized the construction tunnel provided opportunities for both students and staff," says Marty Becker, director of facilities management. "First we used it as a team-building exercise for our staff by having four departments participate in its construction; second, as a venue for artistic expression featuring the school’s tiger mascot and an interior collage of student work."

Several RIT student groups painted the walkway-Alpha Sigma Alpha, the Anime club, the Korean Students Association, Black Awareness Coordinating Committee and Lambda Alpha Upsilon-as well as individual students. No ads or logos are allowed in the murals, just individual expression. "It’s important to promote the artwork, not the organization," says Grimes. "This will be an ad-free zone-just art." Grimes is a fifth-year film major at RIT.

To cover this event, call 475-4948.

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