by Matthew Hazzard
It’s the third week of school, so I’m sure that most of you are aware of the “Capital Court”room drama. Oh, I’m not talking about the disappearance of the much beloved waffle station; I’m not referring to the new Barley Bar, and, believe it or not, I’m not talking about grilled chicken that’s drier than an episode of Frasier. No, I’m talking about all the “art” that’s hanging on the walls: mass produced pictures of lemons and apples trying to taunt us with catchphrases like “refresh and savor.”
When I gallivanted into our mess hall at the beginning of the semester, I was dismayed by what I saw. I’m not averse to depictions of food in art; I love Da Vinci’s The Last Supper. But what yahoo bought this stuff? I’ve been on a lot of college campuses and one of the coolest things about many of them is how they decorate their dining facilities. Where other schools showcase student talent (Wittenberg is a great example), the Capital Court has hung lame, meaningless pieces that aren’t worth beans. This is a sad gesture indeed.
Capital should be proud of all the artistic talent that roams our cobbled paths. If you don’t believe me, just go to The Student Art Exhibition in the Schumacher Gallery (it will be from Jan. 21 through Feb. 16). Each year I’m amazed by all the talent. It really is the cat’s pajamas. Not only do we have talented students, but we also have pretty neat faculty. Walk through the halls of Renner or stop into Chapel (Wednesday 10 a.m.) or heck, just stand outside Battelle, and you’ll see fine examples of what our professors can do. Don’t you think it’s time for the Capital Court to reflect our community as well?
Wouldn’t it be nice to walk into lunch and see a big mural that we, the Cap Family, made? Wouldn’t you just love to walk in and say, “Bully, bully! How proud I am of my fellow students!” or, “Good golly, I have that professor next semester!” When we bring our children here to regal them with our war stories of Capital, you could put your daughter or son (whatever the case may be) on your knee and point at that artwork and say, “I dated the person that made that.”
Capital has an art community worth bragging about and until we bring it into the Capital Court, I’m going to have a hang up about what they’ve hung up.
mhazzard@capital.edu
