COLUMN: Everything looks better with art

From Josh Callahan's, "Under Construction," Fall '99 From Josh Callahan's, "Under Construction," Fall '99John Fry seems to have a penchant for art. According to Philadelphia Magazine, Fry -- Penn's executive vice president -- single-handedly selected each photo in the mural above the magazine section in the new Penn Bookstore. To top it off, Fry has involved himself in plans to review every piece of public art on campus as Penn tries to maintain an aesthetically pleasing environment. It may sound ridiculous to spend time worrying about art on campus rather than say, oh, academics. But one should remember that Fry's job is to do things like build Xandos and movie theaters and make sure that all Penn women are wearing their Steve Maddens. That is to say, "head art critic" is not necessarily out of his ever-widening sphere of influence. Well, Mr. Fry, I have another art project for you. It has all the features you like. It looks good, it improves the campus environment and it can potentially aid town-gown relations. Best of all, it's cheap. You may notice that our pock-marked end of West Philly is currently doing its best impersonation of Belgrade. Bulldozers and tons of dirt currently litter the campus from Murphy Field to the 40th Street construction sites. All of this construction is currently hiding behind one form of chain link fence or another. Wouldn't it be nice to use that space for something constructive? Why not open up those fences to students, community residents and local schools to use for creating murals and other art projects? Covering unsightly construction with art is hardly a revolutionary idea and given the magnitude of construction projects either underway or planned, there certainly is plenty of potential mural space to go around. This is especially true around the construction site that will become Huntsman Hall, where the fences will be in place for years to come. For starters, the fence fronting Locust Walk between 38th Street and the Psychology Lab building should be converted into a replacement for the departed announcement wall that took up the 38th Street side of the old Bookstore. Returning to the tradition of painted walls announcing upcoming performances and events would be a great improvement over a boring green fence. The rest of the site can be used for more creative displays. Allowing painters space to show some creativity would also give some much deserved exposure to the underappreciated Fine Arts Department. Rarely are there public displays of student art on campus and students aren't generally beating a path to any of the on-campus galleries. Anyone who wants to watch construction workers alternate between moving dirt and taking a coffee break can walk up the 38th Street footbridge and look down from above. Meanwhile, the rest of us can start enjoying rotating art exhibitions for the next couple of years. The cost is limited. Just replace the current fences with boards or aluminum, similar to the material lining the Spring Garden bridge between Drexel and the Art Museum that is covered in murals. Deciding who gets to paint on the wall certainly could fall under the direction of the EVP's office. But given the number of projects already being overseen by Fry, maybe it'd be easier to turn the administration over to the Fine Arts Department. Fine Arts is more familiar with local and student artists and with school art programs that might want to use part of the space as well. In a letter to The Summer Pennsylvanian, Jacqueline Jacovni, associate curator of Penn's art collection, wrote that it is gratifying to have art on campus that contributes to the cultural environment and analytical debate on campus. Having more art, even if just in a temporary form, will only help to further this goal without interfering with the construction. Plus, it'll give us all something else to discuss besides how little we "LOVE" the new statue sitting on College Green.