EMU Today

YPSILANTI – A year-long collaborative effort to display the welcoming and diverse nature emblematic of the Eastern Michigan University community will culminate in a dramatic visual moment in McKenny Hall on Wednesday, Feb. 28.

That day, Eastern Michigan students and staff will unveil a Unity Mural to send a message about how the campus views itself during a time of social challenge and change.

The celebration will take place at 4 p.m. in the McKenny Hall Student Lounge on the southwest end of campus. The event caps a year of discussion, brainstorming and planning for the mural, which came together during a campus painting event at Bowen Field House on Sunday, Feb. 11. Dozens of volunteers worked in two-hour shifts as the project became a dazzling reality.

Steve Kwasny, an undergraduate student at EMU majoring in political science, organized a diverse collaboration that conceived the idea in the wake of racist vandalism incidents that took place at EMU last fall. Scott Schlueter, a graphic design student at EMU, created the project, blending the many ideas received by project organizers.

“We chose to create a ‘Unity Mural’ on campus to engage more individuals in thoughtful conversation around the EMU community,” Kwasny said. “EMU is a commuter college of opportunity, where not every student has the luxury to attend teach-ins, rallies, or protests.

“The mural is a visual, artistic timeline that reflects the ways in which our EMU community historically holds true to our tradition of uniting in the face of adverse situations.”

Kwasny notes that the mural team has been working on the project since October of 2016, involving numerous students and staff members on EMU’s campus, along with Ypsilanti community members.

“Not only does this effort include the university, but it stretches out to the entire city of Ypsilanti – children from local schools participated in the input process and in painting day,” Kwasny said. “The mural team wanted to be clear that the whole Ypsilanti community stands behind creating a welcome environment.”

The Unity Mural is composed of 6-foot by 20-inch Masonite sheets that were cut up at Home Depot. Organizers gave the sheets a white priming coat, and then sent them to Signarama, a custom sign, banner and decal designer in Clinton Township. The shop converted Schlueter’s photoshop submission into a digital outline, after which Kwasny and others color coded the work in pencil. More than 200 people participated in the actual painting process on Feb. 11.

Diane Brinson-Days, a master’s student in higher education student affairs at Eastern and an administrative secretary in The Honors College who serves as vice president of the EMU Black Faculty & Staff Association, marveled that all the efforts of the past year have resulted in such an exciting campus statement.

“This effort took a lot of hard work from the planning committee, those who contributed at the forums, from campus organizations and departments, community members and organizations, and especially those who came out on Sunday to help us paint,” she said. “Paint day was such a huge success, and just an awesome representation of what the unity mural stands for.”

Pictures of paint day can be seen at the EMU Unity Mural Facebook page, or the Unity Mural’s Instagram Page.

About Eastern Michigan University

Founded in 1849, Eastern is the second oldest university in Michigan. It currently serves 20,000 students pursuing undergraduate, graduate, specialist, doctoral and certificate degrees in the arts, sciences and professions. In all, more than 300 majors, minors and concentrations are delivered through the University's Colleges of Arts and Sciences; Business; Education; Health and Human Services; Technology, and its graduate school. EMU is regularly recognized by national publications for its excellence, diversity, and commitment to applied education. For more information about Eastern Michigan University, visit the University's website.