The “unity” mural, a project to represent the College of Design, began its first phase Monday.

A group of students and faculty came together at the Brunnier Art Museum to discuss a competition to paint a new mural near the entrance of the College of Design Building.

“The mural is intended to be replaced every three years in hopes that subsequent competitions and student efforts associated with different themes might refresh the space,” says Heather Sauer, communications specialist for the College of Design.

The mural project, Sauer says, is designed to promote a positive message for the university.

“The theme, unity, is linked to the deliberations involving the future of Veishea and the activities planned to focus on the positive attributes and aspirations for the festival in the future,” Sauer says.

The projects will be on display April 11-17, the week Veishea would have been held this year.

“There could be a negative message out there that week, and this will emphasize the commonalities among the college and Ames,” says Tony Borich, senior in community and regional planning and the president of the Design Council.

The mural project contest is open to all majors. Lynette Pohlman, director of University Museums, says it is important for students from every discipline to participate because a variety of opinions would enhance the design.

Students who do not want to paint or design may have other valuable talents and ideas needed to create a mural, Pohlman says. For instance, each team needs a business manager with experience in organizational management and a narrator who must express the team’s design in a written format for submission.

Each team must investigate which materials would be durable enough for the open weather, design a prototype and put them on display for the spring festival. The mural will be painted on a 20-foot by seven-foot cement board and can be designed in almost any way the designer imagines.

The mural is being sponsored by the Government of the Student Body, the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs, the College of Design and the Design Council.

The estimated project budget is $16,500, and the first-, second- and third-place designs receive a monetary prize — first place receives $1,000, possibly in the form of a gift certificate to the University Book Store.

“There is no guarantee that any of the entries will actually be produced, but of course the hope is that something will,” Sauer says.

If a mural is chosen for construction, it would be painted in sections in a studio and then mounted outside the building.