Art students design new UAB Campus Recreation Center mural

Some art students at the University of Alabama at Birmingham have designed and painted a new mural that may inspire more physical fitness on campus.

The students, in a special topics course called “Art and Exercise” in the College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Art and Art History, spent the summer developing art projects inspired by sports, fitness and exercise. At the end of the semester, the students teamed up to create a mural in the UAB Campus Recreation Center. 

The mural is on the interior wall of the indoor track. The students wanted to create something that was both vibrant and inspiring for the people running and walking on the track. The mural features figures playing sports, running and hanging out on campus, painted in bright hues with a backdrop of blue squares.

The “Art and Exercise” course explores art practices that engage physical fitness, exercise and movement of the human body. Students learned about the art history perspectives and theoretical frameworks for these types of creative practices and then generated new artworks that engaged the topic. This course is for art studio students from all areas, and while participation in physical activities was encouraged as part of the exploration of course content, there were no physical ability requirements for participation.