This past summer, Assistant Professor of Art Kathy Liao, four students and two alumni, painted a 80′ x 20′ mural on the side of a building in Southside St. Joseph. Now, this semester, they are painting panels for the facade of the Livestock Exchange Building, around the corner from their original project.
The Livestock Exchange Building is historic building at 4603 Packers Avenue that used to be major cultural and business hub for the livestock industry earlier in the century. The building, vacant for many years, has been picked up by the Friends of St Joseph Society with hopes to repair and return it to its original glory and bring arts, entertainment, and business back into that area.
Through class projects this semester, students are working on site-specific design to showcase the rich history of the building. They are creating painted panels to go over the first floor windows, and making art to beautify the fence lines, front entrances columns and walls. The artwork should be completed and installed by the beginning of November. The goal is to bring attention to the building and generate interest and renewed excitement towards the renovation of the building.