With a large diverse community on campus, Fullerton College is finding ways through art murals around campus to recognize multiple communities.
Director of the Grads-2-be Program, Connie Yamashiro, proposed the painting of art murals on campus at an Oct. 10 Classified Senate meeting regarding the 2023-2024 school year.
During the meeting, Yamashiro conducted a presentation on the new idea of art murals for all Hornets to be a part of. Many senate members voiced their approval of these potential art murals on campus.
“I think it’s long overdue. I think there needs to be more representation of how our college has evolved over the years,” says president of the Classified Senate, Nichole Crockrom.
Yamashiro, who is co-chair of the Diversity Advisory Committee, said that one of the goals for the 2023-2024 academic school year is that students can also be involved in the creation of culturally representative art on campus.
Yamashiro said that, for many years, there has been a desire from students to have more culturally relevant art throughout campus to show the diverse communities reflected on some blank walls.
The purpose of the DAC committee is to “work with the campus community to develop, recommend, and assess appropriate policies, programs, and strategies to achieve a diverse, inclusive and just campus” as stated on the DAC’s website.
Surveys that have been conducted throughout campus show that a sense of belonging is really important to people.
The DAC committee is hoping to gain support throughout campus to have various art pieces on campus.
A strategy that the committee recommends the creation of public art can generate a sense of community that can lead to retention, persistence, graduation rates and degree completion amongst students.
Students are going to be involved throughout the process, from developing a plan for where the art is going to be located, to what it will look like and if the created art piece will be movable.
“It’s wonderful that the students have a say on what is going to be put up on the walls or a moveable board,” says Crockrom. “When all of us are gone, whatever the art is, is maintaining it and it can continue to grow over the years.”
One of the first culturally relevant artists that Yamashiro proposed is Jose Lozano, who spoke last year as a guest at Fullerton College during Hispanic Heritage Month. He focuses on the Chicano Latino Hispanic community, specializing in identity class and cultural norms.
Lozano was born in Los Angeles, but grew up in Mexico. He is an alum of Fullerton College where he received his AA, then received his bachelor’s degree at California State University, Fullerton.
During his time at Fullerton College while presenting his art, he was asked if he was interested in creating culturally relevant art for the campus. Lozano was quick to express interest. This conversation has now laid the foundation for developing a plan for new artwork.
The DAC is developing a protocol and process for art to be made not just by Lozano, but for any artist that enters the conversation through a current process.
Yamashiro has said that the next step was to develop a proposal, and to present the developed proposal to the Classified Senate, Faculty Senate, and Associated Students.
The Art Department has been in contact to develop a protocol moving forward. They are the experts in this case, and will have a part in the process of creating the specific campus art.
“We are in the early stages of this process, but look forward to having more culturally relevant art on campus in the future,” said Yamashiro.
The plan is still in development and plans to be ready by the fall 2024 semester. The classified senate approved the proposal and stands by having culturally relevant art on campus.