A new exhibit on the second floor of the Michigan State University Union is meant to help members of the Spartan community process their grief as the second anniversary of a deadly shooting on the campus of Michigan State University approaches on February 13.
Visitors can use the provided art supplies to paint or to make origami flowers as part of a collaborative sculpture.
If they’re not sure what to paint, prompts created by art education students can provide inspiration.
Laurén Gerig is the Director of Exhibitions and Outreach for the Department of Art, Art History, & Design. She oversaw the creation of the exhibit, titled “Reclaiming Space.”
“What I hope that everyone feels when they walk in the space is that no matter if they’re an art major, if they rarely pick up a pencil, they are able to come in and leave their mark, and that no mark is the wrong mark. You can’t fold paper incorrectly for this,” Gerig said.
Gerig says the process of creating art can help people deal with emotions they might not be able to easily put into words.
“A lot of us sort of move towards the visual arts because there’s something that we’re feeling or sensing that we can’t quite articulate verbally,” Gerig said.
The Union was one of two campus buildings, along with Berkey Hall, where a gunman opened fire on Feb. 13, 2023, taking the lives of three students and injuring five others.
“We’re all in some way reclaiming some sort of terrain, and, you know, grief and loss, and change and healing, these are all things people grapple with,” Gerig said. “Art is a really great outlet and a way to process and reflect and come together.”
MSU junior Jordan Gurka studies graphic design. She was in her apartment across the street from the MSU Union when the shooting happened.
“I actually had told myself I was never going to step foot in the Union again,” Gurka said. “I said, ‘I’m not doing it. I don’t feel comfortable. It’s not a space I feel safe in anymore.’”
Now, Gurka is an intern at the gallery and works the exhibit at least once a week — her own act of reclaiming space.
“It finally feels like it’s starting to become the Union again, right? It’s not reflecting this horrible event,” Gurka said.
The gallery on the second floor of the MSU Union is open daily from noon to 5 p.m. until Feb. 15.
Produced with assistance from the Public Media Journalists Association Editor Corps funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.