Missouri Southern’s Spiva Arts Gallery is currently hosting the “On an Island” exhibit, featuring photography and a TEDx Port of Spain Presentation by photographer Nadia Huggins.

Huggins’ work explores the social process of “breaking boundaries” and how the experience is both deceptive and liberating.

The mural’s overall idea was that it does not matter who you are when you are in the water, yet when you come out of the water your identity is revealed.

The “Beyond the Boundary” event was a window mural project in tandem with the current “On an Island” exhibition by Nadia Huggins. Sat., Sept. 12, Associate Director of Art, Dr. Christine Bentley conducted a zoom call with Associate Professor of Art, Dr. Amber Mintert, to remotely discuss with students and members of the community the photographs featured in the exhibit.

After discussing the photographs in the exhibit everyone in attendance created an illustration to explore the themes of boundaries, limits, and breakthrough seen in Huggins imagery. Considering the motivation and context of Huggins work, audience members crated an image based on their personal interpretation of the topics. They were not asked to create a self-portrait per se, but to create a representation of their feeling towards an interaction with boundaries – such as identity, memory, and belonging.

Each individual’s work was incorporated into a mural of water imagery, to reflect Nadia Huggins’ photographs. Participant illustrations were transferred from each drawing onto the windows in Phinney Hall, located in the Fine Arts Complex.

The mural features work from all 17 participants who’s ages ranged from 5 to forty-nine. The personal interpretations of Huggins’ illustrations range in contextual meaning and depth from very mysterious and ethereal to fun and exciting.

The success of this event allows the campus community to view the mural from both inside and outside the windows of the Fine Arts Building.