Housing and Residential Education (HRE) launched a contest inviting students to design window art to be displayed in the laundry room at the Donna Garff Marriott Honors Community.
The artist of the chosen design will win $1,000 to go toward rent for on-campus housing. The submission deadline was March 25. This is the first time HRE has called on students for artwork to display in one of their buildings. Christine Fleming, spokesperson for HRE, said they received wonderful submissions but are currently working with one student to finalize the details of posting the design.
HRE would not provide a specific date for when the winner of the contest will be announced, but Fleming said it will be soon. The organization aims to have the design installed on the windows before orientation in June.
The laundry room at the MHC is lined with windows, and HRE wanted to increase the privacy of students using that space.
“After much consideration about what could be done, we decided to host a contest that would provide students with an opportunity to get involved by showcasing their experience living on campus through art,” Fleming said.
Submissions were required to feature HRE’s slogan, “Love LIFE. Love COLLEGE. Love LIVING ON CAMPUS!” which, Fleming said, “encompasses what the college experience is all about — enjoying what the university and on-campus housing provide and enhancing the lives of students in a positive way.”
Students were prohibited from depicting the drum and feather, a logo associated with the U, that features symbols sacred to the Ute tribe. Contestants were also forbidden from using any copyrighted material or content. Students submitting their work were also required to follow outlined digital specifications, including resolution, color mode and file type.
“I think it’s cool that there will be student-designed art on the windows [of the laundry room],” said Katherine Worms, a freshman in chemistry and geology and a resident of the MHC. “It makes the space a lot more personable.”
The contest provided an opportunity for students to influence the appearance of a space that most residents use on a weekly basis.
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