The University of Rhode Island plans to preserve nearly 70-year-old murals painted by Arthur “Art” Sherman depicting student life in the Memorial Union. The existing mural features cartoons from the 1950s, including scenes of students returning to the campus, a marching band, and alumni reunions. The university received complaints about the lack of diversity depicted in the images and covered the murals last year while formed a committee comprising students, alumni, staff, and faculty to consider suggestions and input. After considering over 200 responses from a campus-wide survey, the committee decided to preserve the murals and commission new art reflecting today’s diverse URI community. The university will add necessary context about the artist’s contributions, services, and the original intent of the murals. The advisory committee recommended that the university commission a new work of art to depict diverse university life as it is today, to be installed in the Memorial Union at a similar scale to the existing murals.

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