Penn State Intercom......March 6, 2003

Class of 2003 seeking
HUB-Robeson mural artist

Members of Penn State's Class of 2003 are seeking an artist to bring the past 50 years of the University's history to life in a mural on the walls inside the HUB-Robeson Center on the University Park campus.

Seniors voted last fall to commission the mural as their gift to the University. The 2003 Senior Class Gift Campaign will provide the funding for the project, which must cover all project costs including materials and installation.

The competition is open to all artists. The mural's design must meet the highest professional standards and make a strong artistic and historical statement. The committee chose this period of time to complement the Old Main Frescoes created by the American artist Henry Varnum Poor in 1940 and 1948-1949-murals that depict the land-grant mission and evolution of the University from its inception in 1855 to the late 1940s.

A mural artist selection committee will evaluate the submissions and choose the winning proposal. The selected artist will have flexibility in choice of interpretation and medium, subject to input and approval from the committee, and will have the option of locating the piece on one, two or three walls in the lounge area south of Alumni Hall in the HUB-Robeson Center. The mural is expected to be completed and open to the public by Feb. 22, 2005, Penn State's 150th birthday.

The artist selection committee includes the senior class gift committee and representatives from the Penn State public art committee, the HUB-Robeson Center and its advisory board, the Office of Physical Plant and the senior class gift adviser.

A completed entry packet accompanied by color slides of the artist's previous work must be received no later than May 2. Artists interested in presenting a proposal for the mural project may view guidelines for submission and download an application from the senior class gift Web site at http://www.seniorclassgift.psu.edu, or contact Amber Krieg at (814) 863-2052 or adk5@psu.edu for more information. An overview of Penn State's history is available online at http://www.psu.edu/ur/about/history.html.

Much of the funding for class gifts comes from seniors pledging the balance of their general deposit. Seniors also may make a cash gift contribution for the project at any time.

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