Campus Focus

TREE and CASA paint for environmental justice

Stefanie Wray
Staff Writer

Good art often = has greater meaning and implications than just pretty pictures on canvas. Art= ists like Francis Alÿs have made powerful pol= itical statements through their art. For instance, Alÿ= s moved a sand dune four inches and titled it, "When Faith Moves Mountains." These actions capture the attention of onlookers and inspire them to inqu= ire, "why?" or "what?" in a way that pamphlets or the aver= age, well-intentioned evangelist on the city sidewalk never could.

On St. Patrick’s Day, a group of USD students affiliated with the <= st1:place w:st=3D"on">USD Center for Awareness, Service and Action "Color Your World" campaign a= nd T.R.E.E. (Totally Rad Environmental Enthusias= ts) began their own work on meaningful art. As a part of a larger service-through-art campaign, the organization painted a mural depicting prevalent environmental destruction with messages delineating how to prev= ent them. The mural is one of a series of themed projects on their itinerary, which includes messages about peace, heritage, family and the environment= .

The murals created by the "Color Your World" campaign are an on-campus extension of a larger project with the United Nations called the Art Miles Mural Project. In 2010, this organization will hold a conventio= n in Egypt to paint the world’s largest mural in an effort to "create glo= bal harmony though art."

"Once we get enough recognition globally it will be easier to get art and service programs solidified [on campus]," Tanya Susoev, a junior at USD and CASA student leader, said.
The fruits of such programs can already be seen around the USD campus. Hanging on all four walls of UC 113 are a series of beautiful murals pain= ted by students from USD and other San Diego schools. One mural was even painted in Thailand= by children who wanted to express their desire for peace.

"Art is one thing people can understand across the world," Susoev said.

The mural painted on Saturday hung with other environmentally-themed mura= ls from UCSD on Wednesday night during an Earth Day Panel in Laguna. The pan= el was part of a larger environmental conference that takes place in Southern California. The mural will also be displ= ayed during a peace rally on April 19 during Earth Week.

T.R.E.E. will also be hosting a wide variety of activities during Earth W= eek. "Color Your World," T.R.E.E., and the Association of Environmen= tal Professionals will be collaborating throughout the week to raise awareness for a broad spectrum of environmental issues. On Mon., April 16, T.R.E.E. will have a "cans for cookies" drive to promote recycling. On Thurs., April 19, they will host an organic harvest fair with guests from local farmer’s markets.

"Awareness is T.R.E.E.’s main goal," Stephanie Protopappas, president = of T.R.E.E., said. "The organic harvest fair is going to be the big ban= g of the week. It’s going to an awesome time."

These activities are open to all USD students. T.R.E.E. holds meetings ev= ery Thursday at 12:15 behind the IPJ.

The Vista, March 22, 2007

Page last updated: Wednesday, March = 28, 2007