Students answer 'Why Are You Here'

Pure white primer flowed onto a long, plywood wall in Dunn Meadow as graffiti artist Mike Burchfield, chairman of the Beautification Committee for Trained Eye Arts Center, applied it.

“This is the first year that the center has been up and running and involved with IU’s Arts Week Everywhere,” Burchfield said. “Nearly five hours worth of sidewalk chalk disappeared in the rain last night, so we’re trying to get people out here to chalk and let everyone know what’s up.”

Chris Nix, a volunteer for the center, chalked the sidewalk a few feet away.
Nix filmed the wall for most of the day for “Why Are You Here,” an event that allowed individuals to share their stories with the community.

Once the primer dried, Burchfield began sketching on one of the walls. Several students gazed, and a few were brave enough to step off the sidewalk, grab a can of paint and express themselves on the wall.

Holding a can of blue spray paint, sophomore Katherine Van Horn painted a symbol from her childhood.

“I came up with this thing when I was a little girl,” Horn said. “It is a letter combination of the name I go by, ‘Kat.’”

After becoming involved with Arts Week Everywhere, the center worked in collaboration with BeatStreet.

BeatStreet and the center shared Dunn Meadow Thursday night.

“Once our studio had enough artists, I wanted to get out there,” said Adam Nahas, president of Trained Eye. “We have a lot of talent that I want to share with the community, and I think the wall is going to be a great art project, especially once people hear the music that is going to be presented by BeatStreet this evening.”

Benedict Jones, a consultant at Trained Eye Arts Center, talked about the importance of collaboration with IU.

“We are extremely happy to be able to support the University and Bloomington with artistic and educational opportunities,” Jones said. “We try to collaborate with a number of different art entities on projects like these, not just artists involved in the center. All of us out here appreciate the opportunity we’ve been given to get involved with a project like this.”

Csongor Erdelyi, campaign manager for the center, said one of the main goals was to make students aware of the center’s existence.

“We offer a lot of great artistic and educational opportunities at the studio,” Erdelyi said. “It’s the perfect place for aspiring artists. The grass has got to grow from somewhere, and we’re the foundation.”