Campus News

Design Students Create Murals for New UK Residence Halls

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LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 12, 2014) — When James Kenner, EdR vice president and senior director of design, was approached by University of Kentucky officials about allowing a student-designed mural in each of the five residence halls under construction, he was intrigued.

Mark O’Bryan, associate dean of administration at UK College of Design; Rebekah Ison Radtke, assistant professor at UK School of Interiors; and Penny Cox, director of housing project implementation and new strategies, envisioned a contest for design students. The students were given specific colors and themes and instructed to submit one or more designs to be judged. The students were thrilled with the project opportunity and got busy.

“We explained that we especially wanted something large and bold for the public areas, especially study areas and the laundry room. We didn’t want framed artwork in areas like that. Originally, we had intended to purchase commercial wall coverings, so this idea of wall graphics fit perfectly with our plans,” Kenner said.

Within weeks, Kenner’s office was flooded with “some of the most impressive artwork I have seen in a long time,” he said. “They were all stellar. You have quite a lot of creativity there at your campus, you know. I was profoundly inspired.”

EdR chose five winning designs that will appear in five residence halls that will open in fall 2014 — Champions Court I and II, Woodland Glen I and II, and Haggin Hall. Each of the students were also awarded a $1,000 prize from EdR. The graphics will be created in vinyl and applied to the wall, with the student artists’ names on name plates to recognize their talents.

“This was a hugely successful ‘first’ for EdR; we’ve never tried anything like this before. It’s a win-win-win for UK, EdR and the students. We got original artwork in the new halls and the students got some experience, exposure and a little cash in their pocket,” Kenner said.

EdR was so impressed, in fact, that they plan to pursue more art/design contests for UK students whose work will go in additional residence halls as they are completed.

The five winning designs were created by six architecture and interiors students in the UK College of Design. Those winning designers are:

  • Lucas Brown, a second year interiors student from Princeton, Ky., who created a design for the laundry room at Champions Court II;
  • Matthew Ireland, a second year architecture student from Louisville, Ky., who created a design for the sitting room (Room 329) in Haggin Hall;
  • Brenna Murphy, a fourth year interiors student from Prospect, Ky., who created the design for the laundry room at Woodland Glen II;
  • Chris Phillips, a third year architecture student from El Paso, Texas, and Sarah Moyer, a third year interiors student from Georgetown, Ky., who created a design for the third floor elevator lobby at Champions Court I; and
  • Sophia Triantafyllopoulos, a third year architecture student from Carmel, Ind., who created the design for the laundry room at Woodland Glen I.

The students were thrilled to work on something for UK and fellow students. "As a May 2014 graduate, I jumped at the opportunity to give something back to the university that has given me so much. It is a once in a lifetime opportunity to be a part of our ever changing and growing campus," Brenna Murphy said.

Lucas Brown's design for the laundry room at Champions Court II has school spirit literally written all over it. The wall features "University of Kentucky" written in several fonts in shades of blue, white and black. 

The theme of Matthew Ireland's piece in the third floor sitting room in Haggin Hall is thinking outside the box. Within an orthogonal box, there is a complex arrangement of asymmetrical geometry. Through this arrangement, the box becomes redefined, creating a network of different spaces within and outside of the box for people to experience.

"Unique geometries appear to be floating, fading, puncturing and connecting people to a unique place in time where dreams and ideas can be within a contained space, ultimately bridging the psychological disconnect between in-the-box, and out-of-the-box thinking," Ireland said.

Brenna Murphy's design for Woodland Glen II was inspired from her two study abroad trips to Brazil with the College of Design. Her proposal for the laundry room depicts another laundry room in the world, while bringing attention to the topic of sustainability.

"I hope that residents of Woodland Glen II will see my work and realize that UK is a gateway to the world, and your education, life and perspective will change if you open the door," Murphy said. "I also hope that residents will see how much the university cares for the well-being of its students, especially during their freshman year. Creating beautiful spaces is no easy task, and the fact that the task was given to students highlights now much our university believes in the talent here in Kentucky." 

For the third floor lobby in Champions Court I, Chris Phillips and Sarah Moyer wanted to create a mural that was bright, colorful and brought energy into the atmosphere. The duo was inspired by the energy and outdoors of UK’s campus. That experience influenced the pair's color palette selections and structure for the mural design.

Sophia Triantafyllopoulos' "Floating Bubbles" was inspired by nature. While the eye and mind appreciate symmetry and organization, Triantafyllopoulos decided to pursue a less structured design for the laundry room at Woodland Glen I. The bubbles are spheres of different sizes and colors that create an interesting visual pattern. Their upward, floating motion creates a relaxing and soothing image.

"A residence hall is a place where students congregate after sometimes stressful days, and I would like to present a design that is relaxing and calming, not something that they need to focus on and interpret in different ways. It was also inspired by nature in the sense that the bubbles could be little Earths all in motion," Triantafyllopoulos said.

Ultimately, all the designers hope that their work will stimulate the residents. "We hope to make an impact on the everyday lives of people passing through or using the space. Hopefully the mural will inspire them to be creative within their own work," Phillips said.

MEDIA CONTACT: Whitney Hale, whitney.hale@uky.edu; and Gail Hairston, gghair2@uky.edu