ASUCD Coffee House patrons will soon be able to stare longingly into a painting of fresh produce while they eat their pizza.
In between Ciao Pizza and the microwaves, The Aggie Public Arts Committee (APAC) will be hanging a mural – hopefully by Fall 2011.
“This was one of our first projects,” said Daniel Olivas, chair of APAC. “We wanted to bring some art into the CoHo since it’s newly renovated.”
The mural will be composed of four canvases and will feature close-ups of various fruits and vegetables. Individual members of the APAC came up with their own designs and then voted for the best one.
Sarah DeRemer, the winning designer, said she was inspired by paintings with similar themes she had seen as a child.
“I like simplicity and the ability to use a wide variety of colors with a simple design,” she said. “I thought it would be visually interesting and relatable and applicable to the space.”
APAC received paint through an outside donation and paid for the canvases and paintbrushes with funds allocated from ASUCD Senate Reserves. The senate gave APAC $320 for 10 canvases and 12 brushes, although ASUCD is really only paying for five of the canvases.
For shipping reasons and to get the best price from the UC Davis Bookstore, APAC had to order the 10 canvases at one time, said ASUCD Senator Brendan Repicky. Peter J. Shields Library will pay for five canvases, which will be used for a mural in the 24-Hour Study Room.
DeRemer hopes the painting process will be finished by the end of summer and that the mural will be ready to go up by Fall 2011. She will be collaborating with friends in the art department and members of the committee in order to have the input of multiple artists.
Sharon Coulson, director of the Coffee House, said the wall by Ciao was the perfect place to put the mural.
“Hopefully it will speak to what we’re all about – freshness and colorfulness and that we serve a lot of healthy vegetables and healthy foods,” she said.
Though the mural in the Coffee House has been in the planning stages since Fall 2010, members of the Coffee House had to approve the color palate first. This caused some delay, but APAC was ultimately given no limitations.
APAC was created in May 2010 in hopes of increasing the amount of student-created public art on campus and in the greater Davis community. So far, the committee has created a Coffee House Art Show and also has plans to paint murals in the 24-Hour Study Room and the Activities and Recreation Center and create sculptures for the future Edible Gardens.
AKSHAYA RAMANUJAM can be reached at campus@theaggie.org.
