Murals at Mason

Murals at Mason: 'Icons of Fashion'

Melanie Balog — Thu, 11 Jan 2024 18:42:53 +0000

Murals at Mason: 'Icons of Fashion' Melanie Balog Thu, 01/11/2024 - 13:42

Emely Ramos

Murals at Mason, part of Mason Exhibitions, aims to increase diverse representation and provide paid opportunities for students and professional artists across Mason campuses and in the community.

"Icons of Fashion" is a 209 foot long, 7 foot tall mural at Tysons Corner Center. The mural, featuring a series of iconic women throughout different periods of fashion, was painted by Emely Ramos.

Ramos is a Northern Virginia-based artist who graduated from ��AV with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2023. She is studying for a Master of Arts in Teaching in Art Education at Mason.

These notable figures are displayed in a runway format to showcase their memorable outfits. Following these women are an assortment of flowers to mirror their beauty and the personalities of each gown. Ramos chose the type of flowers and colors for each woman to capture the character of each piece of fashion.

Her work often showcases portraits of people with an intentional use of vibrant colors to emphasize their personalities.

You can see more on the Murals at Mason page or by visiting Tysons Corner Center; the mural is near H&M and Hyatt Regency. Photos by Sophie Bae.

Topics

Murals at Mason

Mason Exhibitions

College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA)

School of Art

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Alumni

'Greetings from Fairfax' mural builds town-gown connections

Lauren Reuscher — Thu, 03 Aug 2023 14:51:35 +0000

'Greetings from Fairfax' mural builds town-gown connections Lauren Reuscher Thu, 08/03/2023 - 10:51

Photo by Sophie Bae/Mason Exhibitions

As a result of a grant awarded by the Virginia Tourism Corporation, the Fairfax City Economic Development Authority commissioned Murals at Mason to install a mural highlighting landmarks and experiences in Fairfax, Virginia. Greetings from Fairfax, by Mason alum Lecsi Pillar, is located at Point 50 shopping center.

Photo by Sophie Bae/Mason Exhibitions

Fairfax City Mayor Catherine Read (pictured at center, above) was present at the unveiling. “Buildings like this can help to represent what a vibrant, dynamic community Fairfax City is,” said Read. “[It is] a celebration of the things that make Fairfax City unique." See more photos of the mural.

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Murals at Mason: 'Sediment to Sky'

Lauren Reuscher — Tue, 16 May 2023 19:37:36 +0000

Murals at Mason: 'Sediment to Sky' Lauren Reuscher Tue, 05/16/2023 - 15:37

Murals at Mason, part of Mason Exhibitions, produces public art projects that engage social justice issues and enrich the university’s learning environment. Murals at Mason hires artists, many of whom are students, and mentors them during the mural-making process. The result? Beautiful, high-quality murals at Mason locations and in the local community.

Sediment to Sky mural by Nadya “Bella” Steare. Photo by Sooyhun (Sophie) Bae

Murals at Mason commissioned School of Art student Nadya "Bella" Steare to design two murals that reflect the research focuses of faculty and students at Mason's Potomac Science Center. The staircase mural Sediment to Sky focuses on each layer of the Potomac River watershed, highlighting native flora, fauna, and microorganisms.

Sediment to Sky mural by Nadya “Bella” Steare. Photo by Sooyhun (Sophie) Bae

Climbing up the staircase evokes the sense of ascending from the riverbed while having close encounters with locally found species of fish, birds, and mammals. The side wall mural depicts researchers and community members studying and enjoying nature at the Potomac Science Center.

Sediment to Sky mural by Nadya “Bella” Steare. Photo by Sooyhun (Sophie) Bae

The side wall mural focuses on the coexistence of people and wildlife. It depicts water birds such as the osprey and great blue heron, as well as researchers and equipment used for environmental science study. Together, both parts of the mural feature more than 25 species of native macro and micro fauna, as well as several aquatic and terrestrial plants. Learn more about the mural.

Topics

Murals at Mason

Potomac Science Center

Mason Exhibitions

School of Art

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Murals at Mason: "LOVE & Unity"

Lauren Reuscher — Thu, 30 Mar 2023 14:49:07 +0000

Murals at Mason: "LOVE & Unity" Lauren Reuscher Thu, 03/30/2023 - 10:49

LOVE & Unity mural by Sarah Berry and Monica Tucker of Persimmon Project Murals. Photo by Sierra Guard

LOVE & Unity, by Sarah Berry and Monica Tucker of Persimmon Project Murals, is located at the south entrance of Manassas Mall in Manassas, Virginia.

Artist Statement: “Based on census data from Prince William County, the languages selected are the most commonly spoken where the mural was painted to represent unity (English), 단일성 (Korean), unidad (Spanish), وحدة (Arabic), đoàn kết (Vietnamese) in multi-cultural Manassas. The rainbows represent us all, regardless of what we look like, love like, pray like, vote like, or dream like. As with all Persimmon Project Murals, a native species is selected to include in the art. In this case, the American Dogwood (Cornus florida) was selected for this project because it's the Virginia state flower and we wanted to represent the whole state in LOVE & Unity.”

Topics

Murals at Mason

Mason Exhibitions

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Mason art student showcases the Corner Pocket in new mural

Colleen Rich — Wed, 23 Feb 2022 17:14:42 +0000

Mason art student showcases the Corner Pocket in new mural Colleen Rich Wed, 02/23/2022 - 12:14

Because she had no prior experience designing and painting a mural, Mason student Lecsi Pillar said she wasn’t expecting to be chosen for the project. Photo by Sierra Guard/Creative Services

Amidst the arcade games, ping pong tables, and neon lights of the Corner Pocket, one of ��AV’s student hang-out spots in the Hub, sits a brand-new addition: a mural by Lecsi Pillar, a senior art and visual technology student at Mason.

Because she had no prior experience designing and painting a mural, and because she submitted her pitch just a few hours before the application deadline, Pillar said she wasn’t expecting to be chosen for the project.

“I never would have thought I would be capable of doing something so large,” she said.

But when Jack Kenny, a team lead at the Corner Pocket, saw Pillar’s submission, he immediately knew her design was the one.

“It was just spectacular,” Kenny said.

This work is part of the larger Murals at Mason project.

Lecsi Pillar worked on the mural every day for two weeks. Photo by Sierra Guard/Creative Services

“For student artists who have never done murals but want to learn, Murals at Mason provides mentorship throughout the project while still empowering the student to learn through the experience,” said Yassmin Salem, program manager for Murals at Mason and a Mason alum.

Murals at Mason and Corner Pocket leadership reviewed all the submissions and ultimately agreed to move forward with Pillar’s design because it was very colorful, included a variety of activities offered by the Corner Pocket, and cleverly referenced the name of the space, Salem said.

Pillar said she pulled inspiration for her design, which she themed “'80s disco,” from her parents.

“All the time, they tell me stories about their college experience in the ’80s and going to the roller disco,” Pillar said.

Pillar said she envisioned people hanging out and going to the arcade after school, just like she’s seen in movies about the ’80s.

But Pillar said it was also important for the mural to match the atmosphere of where it will be displayed. That way, it will feel as if it has always been there.

To play off the Corner Pocket’s name, Pillar said she had long envisioned a girl looking over her shoulder and the “energy,” or bright arcade vibes, of the space coming out of the corner of the girl’s back pocket.

To allow students to see themselves in the design, Pillar said she chose not to give the people in the mural skin tones and instead used background colors.

Pillar worked every day for two weeks in January, sometimes with the help of her friend, Mady Shaw, to ensure the mural would be done for the start of spring semester.

Because of her work on this project, Pillar got a job at Mason’s Student Centers as the lead graphic designer and has applied to multiple other off-campus mural projects.

Pillar said she credits Maria Karametou, an associate professor in Mason’s School of Art, for her motivation in doing this mural.

“I wouldn’t have taken this opportunity if she didn’t push me,” Pillar said. “The only reason I even conceptualized being able to do big things is because of her.”

See more of her art on Instagram at @maeberry_arts.

Topics

Students

Murals at Mason

College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA)

New mural at Mason’s Potomac Science Center highlights native species

Colleen Rich — Tue, 05 Oct 2021 14:29:49 +0000

New mural at Mason’s Potomac Science Center highlights native species Colleen Rich Tue, 10/05/2021 - 10:29

International street artist TakerOne completed his mural "Fauna of Belmont Bay" this week at Mason's Potomac Science Center. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Creative Services

There’s a guy spray-painting a wall in the Belmont Bay area of Woodbridge, Virginia, and the community members couldn’t be happier.

The guy is international graffiti artist TakerOne, and the wall he is working on belongs to ��AV’s Potomac Science Center. His mural, “Fauna of Belmont Bay,” is part of the Murals at Mason’s larger eco-consciousness mural series titled Elements, and the result of a university-community partnership.

In the “Fauna of Belmont Bay,” the muralist and street artist from Budapest, Hungary, highlights four species that inhabit Belmont Bay: the yellow swallowtail butterfly (Papilio glaucus), the tree frog (Hyla cinerea), the wood duck (Aix sponsa), and the North American river otter (Lontra canadensis).

Since 2001, TakerOne has been creating public art around the world. His work can be found on buildings in London, New York, Los Angeles, New Zealand, Spain, and Israel. He was selected from a group of artists who answered a Murals at Mason call for proposals in 2019. Although the project was delayed by the pandemic, TakerOne finally began work in mid-September and completed the mural, his largest to date, this week.

University Curator Don Russell, faculty advisor to the Murals at Mason project, said that this mural was just meant to be.

International muralist TakerOne puts the finishing touches on his mural at Mason's Potomac Science Center. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Creative Services

“Doing projects like this often feels like an impossible task,” said Russell. “It's a miracle when you actually get through to completion. This was very complex.”

“After reviewing his photorealistic style, we knew TakerOne would be the strongest candidate for a mural that highlights key species of Belmont Bay in a visually captivating way,” said Mason alum Yassmin Salem, Murals at Mason program manager. “This is the first hand-painted outdoor mural that [Murals at Mason] has commissioned. We were thrilled to finally welcome Taker to the States after working through COVID-19 restrictions and changes in university policies and U.S. entry requirements.”

Molly Grove, director of campus relations for Mason’s Science and Technology Campus, is essentially the “customer” for this project. Working with the support of the Prince William County Board of Supervisors, the Belmont Bay Homeowners Association, and Carruthers Properties, Groves requested the mural and found donors to support the project.

“The only stipulation we put on the design was to make sure it had an environmental science focus,” said Grove.

At a meet and greet in early October, TakerOne shared his techniques and artistic process with a group of community members. He found the species he highlighted on a Mason environmental science website that the Murals at Mason team had shared with him for inspiration. He experimented with alternate designs that included a fish and an osprey, but opted for the tree frog and wood duck to bring more color into the mural.

“I told them it would look cute,” the artist said.

TakerOne started the project by marking up the center’s wall with blue spray paint.

How TakerOne began the mural at Mason's Potomac Science Center. Photo provided

“How many of you thought we had been vandalized?” Grove asked the audience.

TakerOne then explained how he uses the mark-up as reference points, which he transposed over his design in Photoshop to help with placement.

Community sponsors for the public art project include the Wall Foundation; William A. Hazel Inc., which provided the fuel for the lift the artist used; and community member Carolyn Wixsom, who provided housing for the artist during his almost month-long stay. Pitkin's Ace Hardware provided all the paint for the mural—a special high-quality fine arts spray paint from Germany that TakerOne prefers.

Close up of wood duck in progress. Photo provided

“This mural is a showpiece in the Belmont Bay community,” said Grove. “It would never have come to fruition without the support of our sponsors.”

“It is a true honor to be given an opportunity like this,” said TakerOne. “Knowing that people put their trust in me makes it extremely important to me to produce the highest possible quality, with no compromise. All of the positive feedback I have gotten so far from the residents of the area and the people from ��AV proves that my efforts were successful, which makes me very happy.”

Additional university sponsors include the Office of Research, Innovation, and Economic Impact; College of Visual and Performing Arts; School of Business; Patriot Green Fund; Center for the Advancement of Well-Being; Counseling and Psychological Services; and the Provisions Research Center for Art and Social Change.

The official unveiling of “Fauna at Belmont Bay” is this Saturday, Oct. 9, from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Potomac Science Center in Woodbridge, Virginia. Find out more about the event and register here.

See more of TakerOne’s work on Instagram and Facebook.

Topics

Campus News

Potomac Science Center

SciTech Campus

Murals at Mason

College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA)