The interiors of several campus dining establishments are expected to receive makeovers by the beginning of the fall semester - with the Dewick-MacPhie dining hall to undergo the most changes.
Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senator sophomore Kelley Ferro has helped draft plans to cover the back wall of the performance stage in the dining hall with a photomural by the end of the summer.
"It's important to make Dewick more aesthetic since all the walls are bare," Ferro said. She also hoped that the mural "would help foster Tufts pride."
As of now, Ferro has over sixty potential photos that may be included and is still accepting submissions.
In the end, the mural will only contain about eight to 24 color photos blown-up to a larger size. All of the photos will carry a Tufts theme.
Ferro said that she would seek to include a variety of pictures in the montage, including ones of the Tufts landscape and campus, as well as ones of students participating in Tufts activities and student organizations. The project will exude an "overall sense of the Tufts experience," she said.
According to TCU Senator junior Ed Kalafarski, head of the Senate Service Committee, the project will be completed during the summer. A ceremony will be held at the beginning of the Fall 2005 semester to mark the unveiling of the new decor.
According to Patti Klos, Director of Dining Services, the idea of a mural on the wall behind the stage has been proposed since the 1995 renovation of the dining hall.
"Students generally love [Dewick Dining Hall], but we are aware that we have these big expanses of blank wall," Klos said.
Previous ideas for solving this problem included painting a large replica of the Tufts seal as well as various images of the ever-evolving Jumbo. A draft for a wood relief, resembling that seen in Hotung Cafe, was also in the works.
But Dewick is not the only on-campus eatery that will be infused with art in the near future. Dining Services will also exhibit artwork by senior Jason Krugman in Brown and Brew in a few weeks, Klos said.
In addition, the function room in Carmichael Dining Hall will boast pictures from the Exposure Project, a photography series from the University College of Citizenship and Public Service. According to Klos, the photo exhibit will be unveiled in Carmichael sometime next year.
Klos said she did not yet know what the cost of the Dewick photomural project, but estimated that it will be in the range of $5,000 to $10,000, of which Dining Services will provide all of the funding.
Although Klos said she was aware that some may be critical of this budget, since planning has been ongoing since 1995, the cost for the project has been within the Dining Services budget for some time. Furthermore, Klos said she felt that the cost reflects the importance of the project.
"I think it will be a neat thing to look at on the wall, that conveys a sense of spirit on campus," she said. "Certainly there are areas of campus that are photographed more than others [such as] Ballou Hall, the Memorial Steps, and it would be great if this could become one of them."
