The Campus Beautification Committee (CBC) hosted its first ever Art Rising Through (ART) Tank on Thursday, Oct. 24 in the Stony Brook Union. 

This initiative, started by the CBC, aims to “beautify” the University’s campus with artwork produced by members of its community. The two winners of this year’s ART Tank will have their designs displayed in the Frank Melville Jr. Memorial Library and the Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) office located on the second floor of the Student Health Center. 

Last year, the CBC created the “Spread Your Wings” mural located outside of West Side Dining.

Four judges examined the work of six different entries, which involved students presenting their artwork for seven minutes and receiving feedback from the judges.

Anika Griffing, a fifth-year student in the Multidisciplinary Studies program studying studio art and music, was one of seven contestants who presented in front of the ART Tank judges. Griffing showcased an abstract art installation using a set of 30 vinyls that were painted on top of one another in different shapes and themes, including astronomy, geometry and music. Griffing said they hoped for the piece to be displayed in Melville Library. 

During their presentation, they described the inspiration for the piece. 

“This project started because someone told me that I might have autism,” Griffing said. “[Before this project], I had a very specific way of painting, a very specific way of making art. I made this project after hearing that I might have autism and let my brain work how it works and this piece is the result.”

Mariana Suarez Molina, a junior majoring in health science, presented after Griffing. 

Molina introduced their design, a mural called “At Stony Brook, We are all Superheros!” which was intended for installation in the CAPS office. Inspired by the art style of the comic books they read growing up, Molina’s piece depicted students wearing everyday attire.

Molina said during their presentation that the everyday student who wears ordinary clothes is extraordinary since they are expressing their individuality.  

“At first I was thinking of putting them in superhero suits, but I wanted students to relate to this piece,” Molina said. “So I gave them ordinary clothes. I also gave them their own superhero name. These names are what makes each of these students important because the passion that you can see in students… is what makes [their] paths extraordinary. Every day that you have as a student is extraordinary because you are following your passions and your dreams.”

Shortly after all seven presentations concluded, the winners were announced by David Ecker, the founder of WolfieTank and an adjunct faculty member in the College of Business who helped make ART Tank possible. Ecker announced that Griffing and Molina will have their works put up in Melville Library and the CAPS office, respectively. 

Eric Murphy, one of the ART Tank judges and the assistant to the director of Asian art and culture at the Charles B. Wang Center, described the event as a success.

“Everything was fantastic,” Murphy said. “It was really interesting to see what people with different focuses in their studies are coming up with in terms of their engagement with the campus community.”

Georgia LaMair Tomczak, another ART Tank judge and the public program manager at the Paul W. Zuccaire Gallery, said that they were amazed by the contestants’ works.  

“I was so impressed with what the contestants brought to the table, it was hard to choose. [The judges and I] were like, ‘We love them all!’” LaMair Tomczak said.

Murphy said that even though ART Tank does require creativity, it doesn’t mean that the initiative should discourage science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) students from presenting. 

“ART Tank shows that you don’t need to be an artist to create art,” Murphy said. “Just because you’re in the STEM field doesn’t mean you can’t be creative or express yourself in a way you typically wouldn’t. [ART Tank] is almost like an outreach to them and inviting them into our spaces and letting them show a side of themselves that isn’t purely academic.”

As for Tomczak, she said that ART Tank provided students in the artistic fields with the opportunity to be represented on campus.

“Stony Brook is very much a STEM school, and a lot of art students feel like sometimes they are forgotten or they feel that the broader campus has no news, broader opportunities [or] funding related to art,” LaMair Tomczak said. “[ART Tank] is a great example of the University putting money where their mouth is in supporting these students.”