Connected at a Distance: Art Mural Competition Recipient
Deliverables: Digital Illustration
Awarded by: Robert Gillespie Academic Skills Centre, University of Toronto Mississauga
Tools: Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, and Procreate
Final Mural Illustration
Connected at a Distance is an illustration that focuses on RGASC’s commitment to promoting and supporting learning communities at the University of Toronto Mississauga in context of COVID-19 and the shift to online learning environments. Conceptually the illustration encompasses the essence of “gathering of minds”. This is consistent with the meaning of the Maanjiwe nendamowinan building that the centre is located in; and, the main theme of learning communities to express RGASC’s mandate of serving as a resource and partner with learning communities to support each other. The illustration aims to show resilience, adaptability, and re-framing of academic practices in response to COVID-19 by being "connected at a distance", moving beyond time and space online globally.
The 21 illustrated characters represent students, instructional staff, teaching assistants, and faculty globally. Each character features unique facial features, clothing, textures, and positions (e.g. front, back, and side views of people standing, sitting on a chair, sitting in a wheelchair). The homes represent communities connecting virtually from home; and, overlapping shapes (rectangles and circles) in varied sizes represent the different lenses and intersections within online learning environments. Lighting and shade are used to convey different time zones. The use of line, shape, pattern, and rhythm are prominent in the work and reinforce the ideas of resilience and shifts in mindset.
Character Illustrations
Texture Details
Process Illustrations
Layout concept 1
Layout, colour, and form of people and houses concept 1
Layout, colour, and form of people and houses concept 2
