UTA alumna Grace Wilkinson applies glue to the exterior wall of the Entrepreneurial and Technology Development Center on June 13. Seeing the center as a “portal” to campus from downtown, Matt Clark, an associate professor in the Department of Art History and Fine Arts, suggested painting a mural in the center because art would “enliven the space.”
Amid the relentless heat and summer sun students face on campus, the side of the Entrepreneurship and Technology Development Center building features flowing fish and cooling waves.
The new mural was painted by three recent graduates and one student and is the latest addition to Arlington’s growing catalog of collaborative art. The piece took a few weeks to complete, but the entire process took about a year.
Alumna and artist Vi Dang said the group’s primary goal was to have the building represent the students, faculty and staff and reflect their work as entrepreneurs. The initial design was inspired by the show “Shark Tank” and drew a connection to the entrepreneurial aspect of the center.
On June 13, fourth-year student Francisco Marquez and UTA alumna Vi Dang picked up paintbrushes to paint the exterior of the Entrepreneurship and Technology Development Center. The initial design was inspired by the show “Shark Tank,” drawing a connection to the entrepreneurship aspect of the center.
“I felt depicting a shark would be a little too obvious and aggressive for this type of environment,” Dan says, “so I ended up going with an aquarium-inspired design.”
She said the fish represent the building’s inhabitants, who are trying to “go against the tide” to advance their ideas and creations.
Dan’s partners on the project were graduating students Dorian Parkhurst and Grace Wilkinson, and Francisco Marquez, a senior drawing student.
“These people that I know definitely have the work ethic, drive and skill to make this happen, and we already had a very friendly relationship prior to this,” Dunn said.
Artists painted the mural on the exterior of the Entrepreneurship and Technology Development Center on June 13. Vi Dang, a UTA alumna who enjoys the work, said the mural will help differentiate UTA from other college campuses, where many look similar.
The project has been both rewarding and challenging for the artists, who are all essentially art students, but public art is a whole different world, she said.
“I tried to combine a design that the general public could easily understand with a little interest that represents people, which was a bit difficult but definitely a fun challenge,” she said.
Dunn said he finds his work fulfilling and that the mural will help set UTA apart because most college campuses look the same.
“It’s great to be able to set a precedent for future students at UTA and future public artworks. It’s a fantastic opportunity,” she said.
Silhouettes of numbered fish wait to be painted on the exterior wall of the Entrepreneur and Technology Development Center on June 13. The fish have been finished off with stained-glass window film.
The idea for the mural came about a year and a half ago, said Benjamin Terry, a senior lecturer in art and art history. Terry was the former coordinator of Gallery West, which exhibits student work. Due to a lack of space, the department converted the galleries into classrooms, and Terry was tasked with finding other opportunities for students to display their work.
After struggling to get his initial idea approved, he turned to Matt Clark, an associate professor of art and art history, who suggested he base the project at the Entrepreneurship Center.
Clark said he suggested painting a mural at the center because art “enlivens the space.”
“I’m both an artist and an entrepreneur, and I feel like all artists are entrepreneurs, and I want to embrace and support this type of entrepreneurial spirit among students at UTA,” he said.
Artists painted a mural on the exterior of the Entrepreneurship and Technology Development Center on June 13. The artists who created the mural are Francisco Marquez, Vi Dan, Grace Wilkinson and Dorian Parkhurst.
Clark said he saw the center as a “portal” to campus from downtown and the perfect place for students to showcase their talents, so he and Terry began recruiting students to help make that vision a reality.
“I just tried to assemble a great team of students, mostly artists I’d worked with and knew would do a good job,” Terry says, “and Vi, who was leading the team, was the first person I turned to.”
Clark said the final design was a good representation of entrepreneurial spirit, with the fish swimming against the current analogous to the challenges people face along the way.
“This is definitely something unique and unusual that we’ve never seen on campus before, so we’re excited to be the first to do it,” he said, “and we’re excited to see what happens on campus with more murals, more creative output from faculty and students.”
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