Origami Project Finds a Home at HSC Library in Milestone Move to East Campus
From the iconic PRIDE Flag now at CAPS to the Harmony’s Grasp mural at the Wang Center (both made of 1,000 community-folded paper cranes), the Origami Club and Campus Beautification Committee (CBC) have collaborated to make beautiful art together for the past three years, one fold at a time.
In a milestone move, this year’s Origami Club project made its way through the Heartbeat Tunnel, up the escalator and through the doors of the Health Sciences Library, its new home. This marks the first — but certainly not the last — piece of art planned to be exhibited on East Campus as the CBC continues to spread its wings with an ever-expanding roster of student projects and places to showcase them.
The feat was celebrated at a CBC event on April 30 where guest speakers shared their excitement, Origami Club members received well-deserved recognition, participants folded cranes for future projects, and library patrons and event participants had a chance to view the “United Dreams” creation up-close. The piece is a colorful, modular, circular sphere about 18 inches in diameter, and the gathering spurred interest across both campuses among students to suggest and create more new projects.
Health Sciences Library Director Jessica Koos expressed her appreciation, sharing with event participants, “I’m so excited that I get to see this project every day when I come into the office!” She also said she would welcome larger pieces in the future, adding that, “Bringing more student art to make our space more welcoming is something myself and the other librarians have been working on for years. And we will continue to work to facilitate that. We have a lot of space to do that and we hope and plan to fill it with beautiful, student-created pieces.”
Within the library’s walls and beyond, Director of Health Sciences Academic Support Dominick Fortugno added, “This is an important part of our effort to enhance campus life and beautify the Health Sciences Center [HSC], inside and out.”
Like Koos, he said “We’re thrilled to showcase the Origami Club’s creative work.” Fortugno also pointed to a new HSC/CBC subcommittee formed and led by Christine Corrado, the School of Social Welfare’s assistant dean of student services, that will keep those wheels in motion and hopefully generate interest and awareness for student artists on East Campus.
Besides its landmark location, the project this year was unique for other reasons. For one, being a departure from the crane motif. Explained Origami Club President Taha Ahmad ‘25, “We wanted to do something different this year. These are called PHiZZ units, which stands for Pentagon-Hexagon Zig-Zag. On the Club E-Board, we spent about eight to nine hours constructing the piece in April.”
In keeping with the CBC’s mission of campus community involvement, Ahmad further explained that each of the 270 units in the modular piece were decorated by attendees at various events throughout the year, with simple Sharpie-drawn messages and images of peace, hope and belonging.
On a personal note, Ahmad shared, “I’m actually a senior this year, graduating in May. I’ve been thinking a lot about the things I decided to do and the choices I made and I’m really glad that this is what I decided to leave behind.”
Judi Brown Clarke, vice president for equity and inclusion, chief diversity officer and CBC executive sponsor, thanked the Origami Club and spelled out the significance of what they do:
“You are creating the legacy and the experience of what we stand for and who we are, for everyone who walks across every part of our campus,” she said. “You’re not just creating artistic pieces because you’re incredibly talented. Through your heart, your hands and your talent, you are defining and showcasing the DNA of our campus. That’s DEI [Diversity, Equity and Inclusion]. That’s belongingness. And it’s a real point of pride, for me and all of us, and really the mission of my office and the CBC.”
— Ellen Cooke
