A new, outdoor mural has been installed in the Arts Complex Courtyard.
The piece, titled “The Psychology of Sustainability,” is a collaborative project made by FGCU alumni Ehren Fritz Gerhard and Michael Santacroce. The mural explores themes of environmentalism and sustainability through an introspective and conscientious lens.
“We were excited about the possibility of working side by side. It’s not something that you get to do very often as an artist, to actively work with someone else on a singular work,” Gerhard said.
The mural, which was made using acrylic paint on plywood boards, is displayed in two separate sections.
“The mural conveys two different viewpoints on the matter of sustainability,” Santacroce said in an Instagram post. “The purple panels have a grittier appearance, representing the anger within an individual and their yearning for change in both themselves and the world around them. The green panels represent the calming presence and beauty that the environment has on an individual and how this world deserves to be protected.”
Wasmer Art Gallery Director John Loscuito believes that the installation functions as a way to foster alumni relations with both FGCU and its student body.
“FGCU is a fairly young institution, so it’s really important that we create that alumni base and connect them back to our current students. They (Alumni) are the ones setting the examples of what opportunities are out there,” Loscuito said.
The piece was unveiled on Oct. 12, 2023 in tandem with the opening of the Citrus Flux Exhibition that is currently being hosted in the Wasmer Art Gallery. Its installation will remain fixed for a year, with plans of having another alumni piece take its place.
