Art and Civic Engagement Intersect on Coons Road

This winter, the road in front of Remsen Bird Hillside Theater was transformed with a vibrant 5,000 square foot mural, created with generous support from Janette Sadik-Khan '82 and inspiration from her work on Bloomberg Philanthropies' Asphalt Art Initiative. This initiative is a community-led, arts-driven street design program that supports projects designed to improve street safety, enhance public space, and foster community engagement.

Led by artist Andrew Armstrong in collaboration with students from the Art History 295: Curatorial Studies course, the mural highlights the creative use of public space and brings new energy to the entrance of the Remsen Bird Hillside Theater.

The mural's design, Armstrong said, is "inspired by the ideas, subject matter, and forms explored in the Oxy Arts exhibition, Flesh of the Forest and the corresponding course "Black Ecologies" taught by the curator of the exhibition, Tiffany Barber. The design depicts both a lush forest floor environment and a murky marshland scape along with their respective flora and fauna."

Students were invited to participate in executing the mural. "[Painting] the mushrooms felt especially meaningful because I had been surrounded by the 'Flesh of the Forest' exhibition at Oxy Arts. Being able to go from experiencing that theme in the gallery to physically contributing to a mural connected to similar ideas was really powerful," remarked La Quay Jerkins '28. "It showed me how art at Occidental College can move beyond indoor spaces and become part of everyday campus life."

The College's new mural builds upon the success of Boesche Way, a street redesign and public safety project completed in 2024 in honor of the late Arthur G. Coons Professor in the History of Ideas Roger Boesche.