Our Campus, Our Canvas.

By: Riana Morales

Photo from @ufcota on Instagram.

When asked about a school’s campus, the question is often met with a sigh accompanied by students’ immediate image of a colorless prison — one with a dull gray aura, mundane courtyard littered with weeds and walls with chipping, dry paint. For many, school is a sad, lifeless place. 

But what if it wasn't? What if school was a way to express yourself and live freely? Beautiful sculptures accompany the path taken on the way to class and dinghy tunnels turn into vibrant walkways that can slow down the walk while stopping in admiration of the work of fellow students.  

Here at the University of Florida, creativity is reality. 

From giant murals illuminating once-empty walls, like CURIOSIDAD by Don Rimx in Norman Hall, and abstract sculptures drawing one’s eye to the abstract shapes that induce curiosity along their path to simple chalk art that makes viewers smile when the pavement encourages you to “have a beautiful day”. Each piece of art is more than decoration; it is a testament to the diverse talents, passions and voices that make UF an inspiring, living canvas.

One of the most booming spots for creativity lies underneath 13th Street in the treasured Norman Tunnel, a connector from UF’s main campus to Norman Hall.

Photo from @ufcota and @ufpaintingdrawing on Instagram.

Here, the walls of what was once a sorrowful walk from place to place have transcended into one of the most vibrant walkways on campus and give students something to look forward to on their walk to class. 

For Hallie Fleshel, sophomore at the university, this walkway is something to look forward to every day. 

“It’s exciting to walk through and see new art of students expressing themselves,” she said.

The Norman tunnel is one of the most popular places on campus for students to unleash their creativity, but the passion doesn’t stop there. While not directly on campus, the wall on 34th Street is another popular place for Gainesville residents to exert their freedom of expression. With paint peeling back to reveal the decades worth of artists and memories, the nearly mile-long stone walls are open to the public to use as they will, usually with spray painted art. 

Art students at the University of Florida produce some of the most thought-provoking evoking emotion pieces that are simply screaming to be put on display because, after all, the only thing greater than art is the joy that comes from sharing it with the world. 

Photo from @ufcota on Instagram.

Pieces like ‘Anja’ by Abby Huante grab passers attention as they feel her perception of the third eye staring back while walking through the College of the Arts and the fluid ‘Harp of Color’ by Shan Sheng sways above the ceiling in through the Theater and Dance Pavilion peering at those who pass underneath it.  

However, the art doesn’t end with standstill sculptures or fluid mosaics. Instead, there is art embedded in the performances given by students on the Reitz Union lawn or inside the Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, a performing arts theater in Gainesville that showcases Browardway shows and music ensembles. 

In 2020, UF Alum Ye Ma created her own 16 by 16 foot all-red makeshift gallery within the walls of Garry R. Libby University Gallery, a contemporary venue in the College of The Arts, to showcase her master’s thesis, ‘Bystander,’ that walks people through a room of figures and metaphorically asks them the question “do you choose to become a bystander” she says “or do you want to actually do things?”. Not only is art created on the walls of campus, but walls are created within the campus that give students space to search inside the mind and reach for something deeper. 

Campus art lies not only in front of Marston Library in the form of the infamous “French Fries” or the beautiful Harn Museum of Art but all over campus in places you wouldn’t even consider, from student-designed stickers on lampposts to sculptures of the glorious Florida gator, art is everywhere. The University of Florida is a hub for students of all cultures, backgrounds, beliefs, and all ways of life, and the campus brings all of their thoughts and ideas to life through art. Together, art turns UF into more than just a place of learning — it’s a campus alive with stories, voices, and visions that inspire everyone who walks its paths. 

While there may not be hanging art pieces above every hall, like that of the College of Arts, every corner of UF’s campus holds a canvas, simply just waiting for students to make their mark.