New murals paint a vibrant picture of university’s campus life

American educational and business leader Nido Qubein says “change brings opportunity”.

So, when the Office of Student Life at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology went through change last year by moving to a new campus home in the Student Life Building (formerly the U5 Building), the Student Life communication team saw an opportunity to celebrate university students in a new and positive way.

Student Life has proudly unveiled a new mural, a huge nine-by-three-metre, colourful creation designed to represent the diversity of the university’s programs and students.

“We wanted to make our new home more inviting and welcoming to students with this mural,” says Stephen Thickett, Director, Planning and Operations, Student Life. “We consulted extensively with students to get a sense of the ways in which their student experience could be reflected through pictures and symbols. We are grateful for all of their input, including reviewing several drafts, and the final product could not have been achieved without them.”

The artwork was created by Henry Huang, Multimedia Designer in Student Life, a 2012 graduate of the university’s Bachelor of Arts in Communication. Huang went through a long process to capture the university’s distinctive campus buildings along with symbols of academics, research, technology and the environment.

“The mural took me three drafts to get right, and I’m really happy with how it has been received by everyone,” says Huang. “My intention was to have a top-down, left-right transitional flow to the images, to represent the diversity of our campus landscape, our Student Life departments, and our faculties.”

In addition to this artwork, Huang designs many of the Student Life posters and print materials seen around campus. 

“As the mural was being installed at the south entrance of the Student Life Building, it was amazing to see the expressions of students,” says Thickett. “They were proud to see their faculties represented and to simply see our campus in a brand new light. Even Hunter, the Ridgebacks’ varsity mascot makes an appearance, waving in one of the corners of the mural.”

Next up for the Student Life communications team― the unveiling of a complementary mural for the university’s downtown Oshawa location, on the second floor of the 61 Charles Street Building.