By Sara Poiry
The Black Lives Matter mural between Founders Hall and Shoker Lawn was reinstalled over the weekend after originally being installed in 2021 and removed in January 2022 due to a required update to a waterline that ran under the sidewalk. MSO (Multicultural Student Organization), Brave Space and Peace Club hosted the reinstallation.
The reinstallation process took several days starting on Wednesday, April 12, when priming the sidewalk. The following day assistant professor of art Jim Fultz, Meredith Myers and Sara Poiry traced out the letters. Letters were traced from the top of the sidewalk to center and bottom lines. The tracing lines included the inclusivity flag outline in the ‘MATTER’ section of the mural. Friday April 14, the black background was painted.
On Saturday, April 15, students, faculty and staff volunteered in helping paint the letters. Volunteers even signed the mural with painted handprints. Volunteers were provided with donuts, water, stickers and t-shirts.
Meredith Myers finding centerline in sidewalk for BLM mural. Photo by Sara Poiry.
Meredith Myers and Jim Fultz finding centerline for tracing for BLM mural. Photo by Sara Poiry.
Meredith Myers marking lines for letters in BLM mural. Photo by Sara Poiry.
BLM mural after tracing letters. Photo by Sara Poiry.
Student volunteer and Peace Club member Deborah Yoder outlining letters in black paint for BLM mural. Photo by Sara Poiry.
Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Tyson Goings helping spray paint the black background of mural. Photo by Sara Poiry.
BLM after completion of black background. Photo by Sara Poiry.
Volunteers Trin Borgman and Livy Daugherty mixing paint for the BLM mural. Photo by Sara Poiry.
Volunteers painting ‘MATTER’ section of the BLM mural. Photo by Sara Poiry.
Volunteers painting BLM mural. Photo by Sara Poiry.
Volunteers making touch ups on the BLM mural after painting. Photo by Sara Poiry.
Bluffton University alum Tajah Upshaw ’21 touching up the ‘i’ in ‘LIVES’ section of the BLM mural. Photo by Payton Stephens.
Students signing the BLM mural with handprints after painting. Photo by Payton Stephens.
Student volunteer and member of MSO, Andrew Matthews after signing the mural. Photo by Payton Stephens.
The completed ‘BLACK’ in the BLM mural. Photo by Sara Poiry.
The completed ‘LIVES’ in the BLM mural. Photo by Sara Poiry.
The inclusivity flag incorporated in the ‘MATTER’ section of the BLM mural reinstallation. Photo by Sara Poiry.
Volunteers’ handprints on left edge of BLM mural. Photo by Sara Poiry.
BLM mural facing Marbeck Center featuring volunteers handprints. Photo by Sara Poiry.
Black Lives Matter mural facing Knowlton Science Center after completing reinstallation. Photo by Sara Poiry.
