Tony Romano, left, and Candelario Costilla, students in the Partners in Context and Community learning community, apply patching material to a cement sculpture next to Jerome Library. The two were participating in a project for their interpersonal communication class, taught by Jason Schmitt.

IPC students give artwork new voice

Interpersonal communication intersected with art restoration the week of Sept. 13 when a group of students refurbished a crumbling sculpture adjacent to Jerome Library. Instructor Jason Schmitt described the project as “tangible learning.”

The 19 students in his IPC 102 class in the Partners in Context and Community (PCC) learning community in Kohl Hall undertook the project as an exercise in group and individual communication. In the process, they left a legacy for the campus in keeping with the theme of PCC.

The 1960s-era sculpture was in very bad repair, damaged in spots and its paint worn off. Schmitt, who says he has a passion for restoring homes and especially contemporary architecture, saw it as a perfect opportunity to apply communication theory while providing a service to campus.

The class was divided into eight committees involving public relations and construction. “There was a huge amount of research into how to repair cement and how to do public relations communications,” Schmitt said. Then the students taught one another such skills as cement patching, using paint rollers and selecting the proper paint. The PR group asked for input about the project from various communications experts on campus, including President Ribeau, whose discipline is interpersonal communication.

“This class is very much a ‘leader body,’” Schmitt said. “Everyone in it has very interesting qualities.” Part of the experience was observing how the class grouped and regulated itself and how leaders are delegated, he said.

No matter what committee they served on, every student took part in every aspect of the restoration, from applying patching material to sanding to painting. “When it was over, the response was ‘What a difference this makes!’ and ‘Look how easy this was,’” Schmitt said. “I hope that my students will carry this assertiveness forward in their lives.”

The class will now engage in a reflective exercise, writing a paper on how tangible learning might be applied in different settings.

Partners in Context and Community students repair the base of a Jerome Library sculpture earlier this month. The project involved learning and then communicating to one another the necessary steps in cement repair, as well as informing the public about the undertaking.