Pierce has plenty of bland walls throughout campus. I believe that these walls would be much more attractive if they were to be filled with art made by our very own pool of talented students.

One of the many great things about college is that, in any given situation, you will typically find yourself surrounded by people of all different backgrounds with a variety of abilities. Every single one of us has unique ideas and every single one of us has unique stories to tell.

The problem is, it’s increasingly easy to miss these stories because our screen-obsessed generation has become uncomfortable with faceto-face interaction. Therefore the majority of us simply don’t talk as much with people we don’t know. Here is where those blank walls around campus can be a huge asset to us.

I think that art is a great way to bring people together. It allows people to express themselves creatively and display a side of their personality that would otherwise go unnoticed or undiscovered by other people. Art often reveals new, interesting information about its creator and Pierce certainly has plenty of potential artists walking through its grounds on a daily basis.

As Edgar Degas once said, “Art is not what you see, but what you make others see.” I think we should take advantage of the blank “canvas” these walls provide to get to know

Photographers:

Ezzat Bekheet the members of our educational community better and show our fellow students who we really are.

What about Pierce students that don’t feel like they have any artistic abilities to share? As was aforementioned, art is a wonderful unifier and a main reason for this is that you don’t necessarily have to create the art in order to enjoy it. While the blank walls provide interested artists with a platform to showcase their personalities, they also serve as an entertainment medium for anyone who cares to look.

I have found that, whenever I’m stuck in a creative rut, I am able to overcome my static state by drawing inspiration from other people’s artwork. I’m positive that people at Pierce can similarly benefit from the art we decide to put up. This goes for both students and faculty members alike.

At the very least, artwork would add some color to the campus and liven up the atmosphere a little, but I think the effect would extend far beyond that.

This is a good opportunity for students to become more actively involved within the Pierce community in a non-academic way and share a piece of their identity with the rest of us. I think that we will all be very pleasantly surprised if we open up these walls as a display option for Pierce students.

Ahmadreza Rastegarrazi

Abdolreza Rastegarrazi

Dane Igharas

Taylor Arthur

Travis Wesley

Alan Castro

Laura Chen

Brittany Stupar

Georgina Hernandez

Calvin B. Alagot

Claren Flores

Matthew Garcia would be able to supply the Library / Learning Crossroads with enough equipment to get this endeavor started. There would be late fees on returns on an hourly basis, as is already the case for borrowed textbooks. To help get this program jump started, the Associated Student Organization could help put some of the money since this program directly affects what the ASO is about.

Behind the checkout counter of the Library / Learning Crossroads, there is room for

Illustration by Nelson Simmons cabinets and safes where staff can store the equipment and rent it out to students who need it. Students would also need to leave a copy of identification and sign forms to ensure that students won’t steal or break the equipment without repercussions.

The world of technology is moving faster than ever and it has the opportunity to expand the way students learn. Community College is an institution which gives people of every background a level playing field. Let’s help keep everyone up to par.

NADINE GOSTANTIAN Reporter

@ngostantian

Our school has an excellent Art program which consists of students from different backgrounds who get to improve their talent and learn how to create amazing artworks for all eyes to enjoy. Most students are very talented and rightfully think they have a right to publicly display their masterpieces. However, using the bare walls on campus as a canvas to display students’ talents can have many disadvantages, and that there are other ways students can showcase their work.

Graffiti and wall art (or street art), are inextricably related. The use of spray paint and brushes to draw beautiful pictures or words on walls can lead to a type of art called graffiti. When graffiti is done professionally by talented or skillful artists, it is art. However, when it is not done professionally, it would be considered vandalism and may look ugly and distracting to the eye. Since the law says destroying public property is illegal, vandalism would turn into an issue and would require law enforcement. The cost, which would be required to repair the walls or to enforce the laws to prohibit vandalism, would be another hit to our college’s funds.

Graffiti, in its history, has always been recognized as a way people have expressed their hopes and desires, their reactions to injustice and disenfranchisement. Wanting a revolution, or bringing awareness to socio-political issues. While some might see wall art as merely as an attempt to beautify the environment, others might see it as a way to show rebellion. Sometimes writing or drawing on bare walls have lead people to express anger, by writing racial slurs or by drawing offensive figures. If we let our students or anyone to feel free to fill up the empty walls on our campus it would most definitely encourage others to want to express their thoughts, good or bad, as well. published as a learning experience under the college journalism instructional program. The editorial and advertising materials published herein, including any opinions expressed, are the responsibility of the student newspaper staff. Under appropriate state and federal court decisions, these materials are free from prior restraint by the virtue of the First Amendment to the ROUNDUP: March 9, 2016

Wall art on campus can also be distracting to the students whose main goal is to merely get an education and graduate. If students feel forced to look at or react to the wall art, they might not be able to focus on their work flow.

The Art department offers other ways talented students can showcase their work, they can submit their art (drawings, paintings, sculptures), to the Pierce College Art Gallery whenever the school would be hosting an event. The department also has a small section where it showcases works from talented students in glass cabinets by the classrooms. Wall art can encourage harmful graffiti and tagging, which can turn into vandalism.

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