This mural was produced by the Climate Art Action class at Penn State in the spring of 2021.
The Fractured State mural was displayed as part of the C/O Commonwealth exhibition in The Hub, Penn State’s main student center, over the summer of 2021.
The students worked together on all aspects of the project under my guidance.
The students chose to center the mural on fracking in Pennsylvania due to Penn State’s involvement in the development of the industry.
They chose sustainable materials for the project: hemp canvas and natural dyes, many of which were made by us.
The students researched plants and animals native to Pennsylvania and created stencils.
They worked outside on the lawn of The Hub, and considered the process as a way to generate interest from their peers and community members.
They took turns airbrushing, and invited community members to join in on the process.
The reasons why fracking is supported, such as job creation and a lower footprint than coal and oil, as well as the negative impacts to human health and the environment and the need to transition away from the practice were discussed.
Students designed a post card to share some of the information they researched related to the mural.
Hundreds of grommets were punched into the mural to represent the more than 10k fracking wells in the state.