Art on Walls exhibition

Today we are looking back to Thursday 9 February, when the first UCG Art on Walls exhibition took place. The Art Committee organized this festive exhibition of the new art at UCG so that all students and staff could get to know the artists, learn about the project, and feel the art.

The Faculty has set the goal to be and feel like a home for the UCG community. Our hope is that this homy feeling will move with us to the new building at Bloemsingel 1 (read more about the new Faculty building).

The UCG Art on Walls initiative begun when we realized that the current UCG building was filled with artwork that did not make the building feel more homy, that did not appeal to students or staff, or the needs of the building (e.g. dark artworks in already dark and cool corridors).

This project was initiated to source artworks from the UCG community that would fit both the aspirations and identity of UCG as an (educational) community and the particular needs of the building.

One of the members the Art Committe - Ferdinand Lewis - gave a speech during this occasion:

When there were no artworks on these walls, I noticed them only in the corners of our eyes. They were quiet, but humming with possibility. Now, someone has intentionally put things there for us to see, things that were intentionally made. A new kind of possibility emerges.

A person and an artwork, facing each other: You're in a kind of situation that's all about possibility: The artist has given their attention to this drawing, or painting, or photograph, and left it here on the possibility that you would show up, and now your attention is added to the situation, and the possibilities double. And now, walking through these walls is a little like moving through a forest, when branches tug at your sleeves saying, “Hey, stop, look here!”

Filling this building with original artwork by UCG students and staff is like UCG saying to itself, “Hey, take a minute, breathe. Live a little.” That attention going back and forth between the artwork and the audience, that makes new things possible, like curiosity, even wonder.

And isn’t wondering one of the most important things that we learn here?

Future

We want this project to be an ongoing enrichment to UCG and its changing community. Further, as UCG will move to a new building, there will also be a need to reassess what is needed of artworks for the building at the Healthy Aging Campus. We believe that changing artworks - in addition to keeping the content of the works up to date with the UCG identity - also allows for continuous community engagement, charitable events, and affords reflection on where UCG is and is going.

More information

Are you a UCG student or a staff member and would like to submit your artwork for this initiative? Are you just simply curious to know more about Art on Walls? Send us an email at ucg rug.nl to know more!