Hushed laughs and conversations, shoes scuffling on carpet. The Fossil Ridge Media Center creates a relaxing atmosphere for students with its artwork, including the interactive communal drawing posters near the Testing Center.
These posters, started in 2022, were implemented by Judy Keating, media tech assistant, and Steve Butler, technology support manager, as a way to relieve student stress.
“We had read some studies that said it was beneficial to people to color and just kind of relax your mind and just kind of think about something other than day to day stresses,” Keating said. “It’s also a way to spend off periods, if they want to draw to pass time.”
Butler wanted the posters to generate a sense of community.
“We wanted something that was a community project,” Butler said. “And this one has been great.”
Not everyone is eager to promote artistic expression, however, as some students have taken to vandalizing the posters for fun.
“It was kind of abused, [and] I was disappointed,” Butler said. “I thought it wasn’t gonna work. And then we thought, no, we’re going to try, we’re gonna actually make it work.”
Keating also has to keep the art safe from inappropriate words or artwork.
“There have been times we’ve had to take them down and put up a sign saying, ‘You know, because you’ve been disrespectful, we have to remove the poster,’” she said.
Despite some negatives, students like sophomore Allyson Swygman appreciate the posters and the environment they help create.
“I think it’s a way of representing what the Fossil student population stands for and shows how we come together,” Swygman said.
