Last summer, all evidence of construction on Geoffroy Hall was gone, and the brand-new residence hall appeared to be finished. But Evan Harrison, a senior architecture student, was working in New York City to complete the final touch: a mural by rising artist Mickalene Thomas.

Harrison was selected by the Department of Residence to work in Thomas’s Brooklyn studio for one week this past summer to help work on the project, and presented his experiences in a lecture on Wednesday evening.

“To actually have a student go out there and work on it is truly remarkable,” said Erin O’Malley, campus outreach coordinator for University Museums, who introduced Harrison. 

When Geoffroy Hall was announced as a project, the Department of Residence wanted to take advantage of the new opportunity.

“The DOR doesn’t get to build new buildings all the time, as evidenced by a lot of the older residence halls on campus,” Harrison said.

As part of the Art on Campus program, one half of one percent of Geoffroy Hall’s construction budget was set aside to fund an art project for the building. A committee of staff and students created a mission statement for the project and searched for an artist who would most fulfill that vision.

The committee wanted a piece of art that would represent “Community, Diversity, and Home,” and selected Mickalene Thomas. Thomas, a Brooklyn-based artist, focuses on exploring themes of womanhood and beauty using enamels, textiles, and rhinestones. Thomas proposed a mural that depicted vintage furniture and objects, and worked to create relatable spaces that would make students feel at home.

“It fits really well within the space, since it’s kind of a lounge space,” Harrison said. “It resonates with all of us in one way or another.”

While Harrison was in New York, he worked with Thomas and her studio artists to screen print parts of the work. The process is similar screen printing T-shirts, but at a much higher quality. Harrison worked with two of Thomas’s studio artists, and over the course of the week they completed around 25 percent of the screen printing, which was about 10 percent of the entire project.

Harrison mentioned this team effort, and how artists don’t work alone when they are creating their pieces.

“It’s not just, ‘oh, there’s Michelangelo, what a great guy.’ It’s Michelangelo and a hundred other people.” Harrison said.

The project took three months to complete. Harrison also helped with the installation of the work, which was shipped from Thomas’s studio to Ames in August.

“People might think, ‘oh, you just hang it up on the wall, that’s what I do with my paintings at home.’ It’s actually a little harder than that,” Harrison said

Harrison and two other artists from Thomas’s studio attached the painting to the wall and ensured that the piece would be preserved in its current space. They added final touches from notes that Thomas had sent with the piece, including spray painting shadows within the work. The mural is 40 feet long and 8 and a half feet tall, and was one of the largest pieces Thomas had ever completed.

Harrison described himself as having a limited background in art, but praised Thomas for making the process accessible for him.

“Mickalene was great a making the experience very doable for me, as someone who has no background in art,” Harrison said.

Harrison said the experience was an honor for him, and he was glad he took the chance and applied to the program. He ended the lecture by encouraging other students to go outside their comfort zones and take advantage of the opportunities surrounding them at college.

“You never know what’s going to be the one thing that will define your experience at Iowa State,” Harrison said.