By Ellis Sant’Andrea
On a recent sunny Saturday afternoon, a desolate, gray tennis court at the University of Connecticut at Storrs came to life when 70 students, equipped with spray paint, stencils, guitars and skateboards, transformed the area into huge, vibrant canvases.
Cracks in the ground were outlined in neon colors, creating a glowing spider web effect. Images of imaginary creatures, goofy cartoon figures and graphic typography were plastered on the bottom half of the huge cement walls where, rarely, a tennis ball once bounced.
Now, any student is able to enter the area and paint whatever they would like anywhere in the space.
This is the work of LAVA, a group of UConn students who say they are determined to excite their campus like a wave of glowing molten rock pouring over a quiet landscape.
LAVA, which stands for Launching Activism Via Art, is headed by two art majors. Kaiti Archambault, an illustration and anthropology major, and Caitlin Yates who is studying painting and psychology, founded the group in the Fall 2009 semester.
When UConn’s student government wouldn’t fund groups with the chalk they needed to draw large advertisements outdoors, student leaders realized there was no club connecting arts and activism.
Yates went to Archambault and suggested they co-found LAVA. “Our brainstorming ideas just took off. We’ve been going ever since,” said Yates.
The tennis-court-to-canvas transformation is the group’s biggest project so far. A professional graffiti crew even showed up at the walls’ grand opening due to word of mouth. Three musical acts performed, and someone even made a human volcano costume.
The group also serves as a liaison for less artistically inclined student groups who need help making promotional materials.
LAVA puts out a zine to promote its upcoming events. They are “adorably constructed by our cheerful team of ziners and contain fold-out posters inside,” said Yates. You can find an issue in any of the main buildings on campus.
LAVA also planned a “Lava River Live” for the Spring semester and an open mic finale hosted by Long River Live. Other activities included a benefit show and screen printing demonstration at Hillel.
The meetings for LAVA take place in the Art Building Pit at 9 p.m. on Mondays.
“The space is for the use of the entire campus. We wanted to find an area where any student can express themselves freely,” said Archambault about the graffiti walls.
LAVA isn’t just composed of art majors, as one might assume. In fact, art majors are in LAVA’s minority.
“I think we’ve made more people get involved in the arts,” said Yates. “We’re composed of a very diverse group of majors…and we do art-related activities for the entire campus’s participation.”
Photos courtesy of Kaiti Archambault
Now, any student is able to enter the area and paint whatever they would like anywhere in the space.
This is the work of LAVA, a group of UConn students who say they are determined to excite their campus like a wave of glowing molten rock pouring over a quiet landscape.
LAVA, which stands for Launching Activism Via Art, is headed by two art majors. Kaiti Archambault, an illustration and anthropology major, and Caitlin Yates who is studying painting and psychology, founded the group in the Fall 2009 semester.
When UConn’s student government wouldn’t fund groups with the chalk they needed to draw large advertisements outdoors, student leaders realized there was no club connecting arts and activism.
Yates went to Archambault and suggested they co-found LAVA. “Our brainstorming ideas just took off. We’ve been going ever since,” said Yates.
The tennis-court-to-canvas transformation is the group’s biggest project so far. A professional graffiti crew even showed up at the walls’ grand opening due to word of mouth. Three musical acts performed, and someone even made a human volcano costume.
The group also serves as a liaison for less artistically inclined student groups who need help making promotional materials.
LAVA puts out a zine to promote its upcoming events. They are “adorably constructed by our cheerful team of ziners and contain fold-out posters inside,” said Yates. You can find an issue in any of the main buildings on campus.
LAVA also planned a “Lava River Live” for the Spring semester and an open mic finale hosted by Long River Live. Other activities included a benefit show and screen printing demonstration at Hillel.
The meetings for LAVA take place in the Art Building Pit at 9 p.m. on Mondays.
“The space is for the use of the entire campus. We wanted to find an area where any student can express themselves freely,” said Archambault about the graffiti walls.
LAVA isn’t just composed of art majors, as one might assume. In fact, art majors are in LAVA’s minority.
“I think we’ve made more people get involved in the arts,” said Yates. “We’re composed of a very diverse group of majors…and we do art-related activities for the entire campus’s participation.”
Photos courtesy of Kaiti Archambault
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