Invasion of Privacy: Art Behind Bars
Photo courtesy of Cadence Panol
This was the wall before Cadence began the project of painting a mural. It was used like the painted tree on campus, but the paints used were not durable in outdoor weather.
If you have ever walked up the stairs by Sturges Hall, then you have likely seen the beautiful mural inspired by Geneseo sunsets and stained glass windows of Brodie Hall. But you probably do not know the story of how that mural came to be. The design was crafted by a student, now senior Cadence Panol, a Visual Communication and Production major with minors in Dance and Edgar Fellows Honors. The reason behind the mural was not just to bring joy to those who saw it, but to raise awareness about the lack of fine arts on campus.
The inspiration for the mural grew from an art class Cadence took during the spring semester of her sophomore year. During our interview, she told me “It was during that class that I fell back in love with fine arts and studio arts.” However, when she found out that the class and the adjunct professor were both to be cut after only one semester, she and her fellow students decided to do something about it. It started with a petition titled “Save The Visual Arts At SUNY Geneseo”—one that got over 200 signatures—but that ultimately “got lost in translation” with administrative changes and miscommunications. When the petition failed, the students decided to make a public art statement instead, culminating in Cadence’s idea for and design of the mural.
Initially, Cadence was asked to paint on a canvas that could be hung and moved, but she stood her ground that it needed to be a mural. She said to me, “That’s the purpose of this, it needs to be permanent. The point is to make a statement now.” That statement, in her words, is that SUNY Geneseo has “so much talent, but we’re not tapping into it,” and that “we’re not fostering the right creative environments to allow that creativity to take place.” Throughout my interview with her, she clearly expressed her belief that this campus is full of artists who do not have the outlet to create because of the lack of a fine arts program— exactly why this mural became such an important symbol of awareness, as it was a project not just taken on by Cadence, but “over 30 people.”
Cadence wants to give a huge shoutout to her housemate, Audrey Ryan, who was there for her throughout the process and helped with a lot of the little things. Cadence specifically mentioned that Audrey helped in organizing students from Music Society to prime the wall with her, and even snagged an MJ takeout box for her to use as a paint palette. Cadence spoke at length about the support system of the Music Society members, Art Club members, people she had danced with, her friends, and her classmates that would swipe up on her Instagram story to find out how they could help. She said, “I take credit for my idea and I did the design, but at the end of the day it was those people who showed up for me on those days that really brought the whole thing together.”
Two years later, the mural is behind chain link fences because of construction. When asked if the art being behind “bars” added anything to the statement of the piece, she said, “I think it does. We have this art potential here at Geneseo but it’s just locked behind a lack of resources and a lack of opportunities for our students.”
The construction on Sturges Hall will include a new production studio for WGSU, and a home for Communication and Marketing majors. Cadence acknowledges that the construction will ultimately be beneficial for students, and said that “the work they’re doing that causes the bars to be there is not an issue, it’s that the bars represent, I think, a lack of opportunity students are receiving art wise.” Like any artist would be, Cadence will be upset if her work ends up destroyed from the construction. However, despite her reservations, she believes that the experience alone was so empowering that she would be okay if it ends up destroyed. She would like to take her senior photos in front of it, though, so maybe they could hold off another semester!
As of right now, the only evidence Cadence ever worked on the mural is her signature in the corner. She plans to create an artist statement and will go through the logistics associated with it before she graduates. If you want to check out her other mural projects and a compilation video of the people who helped on the mural on our campus, follow her on Instagram @cadence_panol.
Photo courtesy of Knight’s Life Editor Daisy Sheldon
The mural behind construction chain link fence today. Go admire it!