As of this summer, new artwork now decorates the halls of Calvin’s campus. On the second floor of Hiemenga Hall in the hallway behind Peet’s, three sets of paintings now fill the walls by the Center for Intercultural Student Development (CISD), Student Success, and the Sexuality and Gender Association (SAGA). Chimes took a look at the paintings “Flirtation 1 and 2,” “Little Comforts Along the Way” and “Wall Flowers.” 

About the paintings

“Flirtation 1 and 2” are two oil paintings by Roger Bruinekool. The paintings feature lines with bright gradients in the style of graffiti bubble letters, contrasted against a dark blue background. “Little Comforts Along the Way,” also an oil painting by Roger Bruinekool, has a similar style to “Flirtation 1 and 2,” featuring squiggling lines with bright gradients. However, instead of a dark blue background, it uses a multi-colored gradient background, including several of the same colors featured in the squiggling lines. “Wall Flowers” is a series of nine acrylic paintings by Calvin alumna Susan Schmalz. Five of the paintings feature women in various floral-patterned dresses, while the other four feature similar floral patterns on thinner canvases. 

These paintings, along with others across campus, are part of Calvin’s Center Art Gallery. According to Brent Williams, director of exhibitions for the Center Art Gallery, the gallery includes purchased pieces and gifted pieces from Calvin alumni and other artists. It currently has around 2,500 individual artworks in the permanent collection, with around 40% on display across Calvin’s campus.

“We have been preparing for the installation of artwork throughout the library since the design phase of the remodel started,” said Williams. “Our goal was to install artwork after people had settled into their new spaces and had settled on layouts and routines that worked best for them. This past summer, my team and I installed 130 artworks throughout the library following our laid-out process.”

When asked about the gallery’s process for deciding where to put artwork, Williams explained that they “walk around campus [and] search for empty walls that have good presence and benefit from art.” Once they’ve picked a location, Williams noted that they carefully select the artwork to fit with the context of the space. “The goal is to have artwork displayed that could speak to the academic discipline that surrounds it, represent Calvin’s rich artistic legacy through its alumni and emerita faculty or celebrate the collections and passions of alumni as they have moved on from campus.”

Local opinions

Roz Terry, cCoordinator for the Center of Intercultural Student Development, described the paintings as “bright and colorful” as well as “eccentric.” “I can see how they’ve become statement pieces in the hallway for sure,” she said. Jodi VanWingerden, cCoordinator for Student Support and Sexuality Programming, echoed this statement, saying that the hallway, “just feels more lively and cheerful —, more inviting.”

Kyle Heys, dDirector of Student Success, said that he found “Wall Flowers” to be the most thought-provoking, “partly because there are questions around what are the women doing? What are they communicating? One of my colleagues said, ‘I love that piece because it communicates what women really want:, a dress with pockets.’”

VanWingerden also mentioned the “Wall Flowers” paintings, noting that “they celebrate the body in a way that’s… because they’re not abstract, but they’re just out of the box enough… that it just causes you to pause and think a little bit about the types of bodies that we elevate and celebrate.”

Art in public spaces

When asked about the importance of having artwork in public spaces on campus, Williams wrote, “I think it is important to live with art. Art changes as we spend more time with it. We need time to see and discover.” Williams noted that he hopes students take the time to thoughtfully engage with the pieces. “Calvin encourages all to think deeply and engage with the world around them. A viewer should bring their own experience or background into the process of looking at art. … Not everyone enjoys the same type of art, but I have found that even artworks that are not my favorite provide me with an opportunity to better understand what I appreciate about art.”

Heys echoed this statement, saying that “some of the art that we don’t love right away becomes favorite art. … Art can impact us in different seasons. It can impact us in different moods.” Heys also noted that “one of the great gifts of being in a higher-ed institution is there’s art around … and a lot more art that you’re not initially just aesthetically pleased by. That’s powerful.”

When asked about the effects the artwork might have on students, Terry said, “I feel like I now see more students sitting in the tables in the hallway… I’d be curious to see if that was having to do with the art in the hallway.”