When the fall semester begins and students return to the Siena College campus, they will notice a world of difference in their student union building.
In a collaboration between the offices of Student Activities and Leadership Development and the Center for International Programs, a mural, titled “Global Siena,” is in the works at the Sarazen Student Union building. Done by 2015 graduate Luke Lavera, the mural represents the college’s international studies program, one of Siena’s largest programs.
First started in October 2014, the mural is expected to be completed in August, just in time for the fall semester. The design includes a map of the continents in dark green outlined by yellow and surrounded by blue.
Lavera, along with directors of the student activities and international programs offices Karen Keis and Brother Brian Belanger respectively, came up with the idea for a world map to bring awareness to not only the international studies program and the international students who study at Siena, but also to the student influence on the campus.
Lavera said Keis and Belanger reached out to art department professor Scott Foster for a student to work with on the project. “I’m really honored he thought of me and sent them my way,” said Lavera.
Lavera, a creative arts graduate, returned after graduation to start work on the mural after months of brainstorming until the perfect design was chosen. Belanger said Keis was the main force behind the mural and had decided on a design centered on the students.
“She offered to us a wall so we would be able to highlight student profiles,” said Belanger. “Our input is to have photographs of students who either studied abroad, or international students who are coming here.”
Along with the global map, the mural will feature photographs and texts about the students in the international programs, as well as logos of Keis’s and Belanger’s department.
With the profiles and pictures, students will be able to see the opportunities for study in the international program, especially for those students who might not be aware international study is available for them.
“What it may suggest to them are opportunities they may not know existed. They’ll say, ‘I too can do this. I know that kid, I know that program can be for me,’” said Belanger.
Lavera said the mural would give Siena students a chance to see how “our Siena world” is influence by a range of international students. “To me, the design represents that Siena has its mark all over the world,” he said.
The fixtures, however, are not permanent. As students graduate and even more come in, the profiles on the mural will change over time, keeping stories relevant and students interested.
As the mural gets closer to being complete, Lavera said he was grateful for the opportunity to work on the project. With his undergraduate degree under his belt, he said he plans on pursuing a master’s degree in art after a short break from schoolwork, but was glad to have the opportunity to work on the mural.
“I thought it would be a great opportunity to give back to my school,” Lavera said, “a very creative way to leave my mark on campus for years to come, and a really cool personal challenge, since I had never painted a mural before.”