.国产短视频

国产短视频

Judy Genshaft Honors College

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Honors students smile next to the completed breath of life mural.

Honors Students Connect Art and Nature Through Mural at 国产短视频Botanical Gardens 

Art and nature are all around us, from the 国产短视频鈥檚 (USF) Botanical Gardens to its Contemporary Art Museum. In the fall semester of 2023, Assistant Professor of Instruction Tina Piracci and students enrolled in the Honors course Art and the Environment set out to explore the intersection of visual art and the natural surroundings at USF鈥檚 Tampa campus.  

Art and the Environment is a hands-on studio art course where students explore their individual interests as they research and propose projects for climate change art activism, awareness, and sustainable designs.  

Piracci aims to engage and inspire students to discover creative actions they can implement to fight climate change, regardless of their previous experience with art. 

Once students proposed and selected their projects for the semester, they worked alongside their peers, community members, and local organizations to develop and integrate their ideas into the Tampa community, making strides toward building a more sustainable and eco-minded city.  

Breath of life

A group of six Honors students elected to create a mural in the Botanical Gardens. The mural, titled 鈥淏reath of Life,鈥 depicts a woman whose features are intertwined with natural elements found in the surrounding area, such as Florida's native pollinators and plants. The mural is intended to illustrate the connection humans have with nature and to inspire viewers to engage in the reciprocal relationship society shares with nature. The students specifically chose the Botanical Gardens to house their mural as research shows that visual arts present in green spaces help improve mental health by reducing the effects of anxiety on the body. 
 
To implement their proposal, students Emma Wu, Joelynn Jung, Cassidy Homatas, Alyssa Tallman, Alejandra McGehee, and Arianna Samper partnered with Botanical Gardens Director Craig Huegel over the span of a month to sketch and then paint the mural on a structure in the gardens where visitors could easily enjoy the artwork.  

Honors students paint the breath of life mural at the 国产短视频botanical gardens

鈥淎s a STEM major, art and nature are passions of mine I have pursued throughout my undergraduate career, and through this mural, I hope others will be inspired to follow what they truly love,鈥 said McGehee. 

鈥淚 agree,鈥 said Wu. 鈥淧ainting a public mural on the campus I attend was so eye-opening as someone who had never painted before. I would love to paint another mural in the future!鈥 

The interdisciplinary nature of Honors courses invites students to pursue and develop interests outside of their chosen major. Through experiences like Piracci鈥檚 studio-focused 鈥淎rt and the Environment鈥 course, students learn to understand and experience their world through multiple lenses, increasing their ability to connect with others in their classes, career, and beyond. 

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Committed to intellectual curiosity, global citizenship, and service across three unique Tampa Bay campuses, Honors News shares the exceptional stories of the Judy Genshaft Honors College.