Battell receives a new paint job

Author: Alexxa Gotthardt

Most dorms on campus enclose students in blank, vapid, white walls. At best, the walls exist unnoticed; at worst they stand unfriendly and uninspiring. The walls of Battell Hall used to be among the most lifeless on campus. Recently, however, an explosion of inspiration, zeal and color erupted in the building's formerly vacuous central hallway. The agent of this fresh dynamism: a vibrant student-conceived, designed and executed public mural.

The conception of Battell resident Alex Benepe '09, the mural stretches up the Battell south stairwell, its bold primary colors and dynamic student-silhouettes reverberating animatedly off of the once-white walls. The mural itself consists of two parts - background and foreground. The background progresses fluidly through the color-spectrum, beginning with purple on the first floor, then fading to red, orange, yellow, green, blue and finally returning to purple on the third floor.

The foreground is animated by multicolored silhouettes of Battell residents whose shadows were projected on the walls and then traced and filled with paint. They assume a diverse range of poses - some play sports, others DJ, dance and rock out on guitar. The most stand-out silhouettes swoop across the top of the stairwell on broomsticks - monuments to the famed Middlebury Quidditch players, the majority of whom live in Battell.

Benepe was inspired to create the mural after helping paint the walls of the Vitality of the Artistic Community Association (VACA) gallery in Forest basement in the fall. "I just thought Battell is kind of grey and plain-looking on the inside," said Benepe, "and the stairwell is something people use everyday so making it look more lively and cheerful is always good."

After the initial inspiration, Benepe then worked to acquire both permission and funding for the project. With the help of Cook Commons Dean Dave Edleson, Wonnacott Commons Dean Matt Longman and Wonnacott CRA Natalie Guarin, the Battell residents soon had both the permission and paint to begin the mural.

The student-enthusiasm to participate in the creation of the mural was immediately overwhelming. "The first night we began work, as soon as I slapped a coat of purple paint on the wall, people were instantly excited and inspired. At its peak, at least 20 people were working on it," said Benepe. With the help of many a Battell resident and the patience and cooperation of the Battell custodial staff, the mural was completed by the end of J-Term.

The Battell mural is not the first student-created mural on campus and will certainly not be the last. Mural efforts on campus were begun by VACA several years ago in response to what VACA co-president Kevin Buckland '05.5 said was a "dire need for public art on campus-something, anything real to combat the overwhelming white that pervades this institution."

The response by students and staff alike to the latest Battell mural was overwhelmingly positive and has left the Middlebury community only craving more color and creativity on the walls of both Middlebury's residential and academic buildings. "The mural looks fantastic," said Longman. "It is a tribute to the talents and initiative of our first-year students and it brings vitality to an otherwise bland space." Benepe also commented on the benefits of the mural. "The mural really served to unite the community. Almost everyone in the nearby halls helped out at least once and everyone was very excited and inspired."

The more murals painted, the more the demand for additional public art seems to arise. After the enthusiastic response to the Battell mural, Benepe and many other Battell residents are ready to take on the next project - the Battell North stairwell. Other public art efforts are currently underway, including Buckland's mural in PALANA and projects by Studio Art majors Josh Dihle '06 and Trista McGetrick '06. "We're still looking for one more [mural] this year," said Buckland. " The white walls and creativity are plentiful.