The administration recently went public with their plan to revamp the hallways and their artistic content. Some student murals that have decorated the BVNW walls for years will be painted over, then a slow transition toward a different kind of ‘portable’ art will be put into action.

Originally, the redesign process is expected to take at least four and a half years, beginning this winter break in the 600 hallway. After listening to many comments from students and alumni, principal Amy Murphy said she is currently morphing her ideas to better retain the school’s art history.

“I’m not trying to get rid of the art,” Murphy said. “I love the art on the walls. What I’m trying to do is manage what we’ve got.”

Murphy said there are many reasons for the redesign. Copyright violations, vulgar hidden meanings and lack of space have all sparked issues since the paintings were initiated. The latter reason has expedited the redesign process.

“I probably didn’t think it through,” Murphy said. “I didn’t think about how at some point we’re going to run out of space. They were never meant to be here forever.”

Murphy said instead of the original plan, the vulgar and copyrighted murals will be painted over first. As more ‘portable’ art is collected, she will decide which murals go next based on input from the art department.

Art teacher Chris LaValley said she understands all of the logistics behind the redesign and thinks it will be a good idea for the future of the art department. After speaking with the upper-level art students, she found that almost everyone thought it was a good idea because their work would be more prevalent in the building.

“The art department is supporting Dr. Murphy and [the redesign],” LaValley said. “If there’s anyone who’s going to support the art, it’s going to be us.”

However, one art student did not agree with the department’s stance. After finding out about the redesign, junior Erin Lazarus said she was devastated and decided to take things into her own hands by creating an online petition. Lazarus said she created it to raise awareness and show the administration how much the murals mean to everyone.

“I know that there’s only so much one can really do, but my goal was to preserve as much as I could of the school’s art history,” Lazarus said. “I understand that we probably couldn’t keep all of them forever, but what’s important to me is that I tried and I did as much as I could.”

Lazarus said many people were confused with her wording in the petition. After meeting with Murphy multiple times, Lazarus updated her explanation to further clarify her position to the community.

“[Murphy] was very understanding,” Lazarus said. “Now we’re both on the same page.

The newly painted walls will be adorned with the ‘portable’ art, which Murphy said she has imagined to be any medium that is easy to switch out and rotate throughout the year. The displays will depict multiple angles of student life, including athletics, activities and creativity.

With the new portable format’s flexibility, Murphy said she is open to many different mediums of art being displayed. She hopes to still include paintings, but also to showcase framed photographs as well as prints, sketches, and other forms of art.

“We have too many artists in this building, which is awesome,” Murphy said. “I love that. I’m jealous. I wish that I had the talent that some of you have.”

Murphy said she is hoping that the redesign will highlight all the different talents that are found throughout the school. Instead of only having select pieces displayed in the art gallery, a larger volume of art could be spread throughout the school as well.

“I want tons of stuff that represents kids and what we are and what we do around here,” Murphy said. “I want to celebrate the artwork of the kids who are currently here.”