‘Art’ of the matter

Newly dedicated mural at Wilkerson Commons completes the renovated building, celebrates student life

On the ground floor of Wilkerson Commons, where the hallway splits toward Noren and Selke Halls to the north and Brannon, McVey and West Halls to the west, there is a wall sculpture that captures the essence of the junction – literally and metaphorically.

Aptly called “Intersections,” the 7-by-15-foot artwork melds various landmarks of the University of North Dakota to convey the spectrum of student experiences on campus. A motley amalgamation of aluminum parts, the piece incorporates the University’s logo and its Fighting Hawks athletic counterpart, the façade of Merrifield, a soaring plane and a scrum of human figures that exercise, study and unwind.

“To me this piece right here really exemplifies how exciting a time UND is at right now,” said Kaelan Reedy, president of the Association of Residence Halls.

Last Thursday afternoon, Reedy stood in front of the piece as a big green bow stretched across it. Together with Vice President for Student Affairs & Diversity Cara Halgren, he cut the ribbon to the applause of several dozens of attendees, gathered for the dedication ceremony.

“I remember Wilkerson when it didn’t look nearly as nice,” said Halgren, who thanked UND Housing and present and past University employees for making a difference throughout the decades.

“Intersections,” created by Petoskey, Michigan-based artist Daniel Roache, completes the Wikerson building, which, after an extensive, one-year revamp, opened its doors in the fall of 2015.

“It is kind of interesting that we got that piece done [almost five years after we decided to renovate Wilkerson] and now for the next couple of years, the Commons is to serve as a pseudo Union,” said Stuart Lickteig, associate director for residence life. “It is a closure to one [chapter] but beginning of another.”

A celebration

From the start, the update plans for Wilkerson have included money for an artwork. Yet, it was not until a year ago when a committee, composed of students, staff and faculty, convened to solicit and select the art.

Over 10 artists from the Midwest submitted their concepts, said Lickteig, who served on the committee. After presentations, deliberations as well as student input, Roache’s “Intersections” emerged as the composition that best embodied the diversity but also the unity of the UND residential life.

Several aspects of Roache’s work rendered it an ideal accession to Wilkerson’s purpose as well as architecture.

In the silhouettes, Roache plays with negative space, chiseling the faces blank so that viewers could picture themselves engaged in the portrayed activities – a technique fit for a space that serves students of various stripes.

“If you define what you are looking at, it doesn’t leave a lot to your imagination,” said Lickteig.

A black ribbon sloops throughout the piece to tie the student shapes to the hallmarks of the University. It not only guides the eye as it traipses through the multitude of scenes, it also offers an interpretation of UND’s vision of oneness.

Moreover, in its complex metal relief entirety, “Intersections” matches the modern industrial design of Wilkerson, which features exposed pipes and wires.

“The Commons is a newer building and we thought that the metal kind of fits with the décor already there,” said Lickteig.

Creation for generations

Because the artwork needed to effortlessly rest in Wilkerson Commons, for its creative execution, the building’s architecture offered a guide but also a constraint.

The white, rectangular alcove to which the piece is mounted stretches 15 feet wide, 7 feet tall and as many across. The wall around it is dark, offering a natural frame for the artwork.

“I just made that my basis point and started drawing very freely within that and making sort of a mental list of those things that I had to address – the aspects of the school, things that are not so universal but are very specific to the school,” said Roache.

With pens and pencils, he sketched the composition. Then, he moved individual pieces around. Once content with the formation, Roache enlarged the image to its real-life proportions. He sent the blueprint to a metal cutting company that usually laser-carves components for army tanks. Afterwards came the welding and assembling of the aluminum pieces – smaller ones are sturdier in order to resist tear – that were eventually disconnected to be painted with auto paints. Lastly, Roache separated “Intersections” into six sections, easy to transport and screw to a wall.

In February, he journeyed to Grand Forks to install the piece. Wielding a tarp template, he bolted anchors in the niche and hang the individual parts so that their overlap created a dynamic layered whole.

“It is a design that is meant to be taken from a distance yet I was trying to include enough intimate objects that when somebody approached it within a touching distance, they would find it interesting as well,” said Roache.

Lickteig, however, has a grander vision for “Intersections” as an exemplar of public art that illustrates the UND education and experience, which join generations of students together.

“You know how students stand in front of a sign that says University of North Dakota or they go down to Celebrated by the Chapel [to take their picture,]” he said. “This is going to be a place where students would want to come and have their picture taken with their graduation gown on.”