Your favourite book on the shelf
JanIsDeMan to paint mural on Groeneveld building
The Groenman building. Photo: UU
The Sjoerd Groenman building is located at Utrecht Science Park (USP). The mural will be painted on the side of the stairwell and depict a stairwell with books. The Utrecht-based artist JanIsDeMan (Jan Heinsbroek) will start working on it in late March or early April.
JanIsDeMan's many murals have now become synonymous with the city of Utrecht. "He's painted several murals on Amsterdamsestraatweg and a few other places around the city," says Lieke Fokker, a student member of the University Council, who thinks it is "cool" that the Utrecht Science Park will soon get an artwork by JanIsDeMan as well. "The campus will feel more connected to the rest of the city this way."
Book titles
This week, the student section from the University Council will be receiving suggestions for book titles to appear on the mural. Students can send their ideas to the student section's email address. A few years ago, JanIsDeMan made a mural on Amsterdamsestraatweg that also allowed the locals to suggest their favourite books.
Fokker says: "We want students to relate to the books and feel connected to the artwork. The idea is to make the university community feel represented in the mural," which should promote a stronger "community feeling" and make the campus a little bit less grey. "It could use some colour. This mural is not going to solve all problems in the Science Park, but it can help."
Inspiration
The previous student section of the University Council was asked by the university to come up with an idea for a project which would be paid for with NPO funds. The Dutch government created this fund so that educational institutions could improve students' wellbeing after the pandemic.
The student members then came up with the mural idea, inspired by the city of Philadelphia, in the United States, the hometown of former student member Matias Edelstein. Philadelphia is known as "the mural capital of the world".
Correction (28-01): The message initially stated that the mural would be on the Langeveld building, but this must be the Sjoerd Groenman building.