<body><div>Following the tragedy of the Dec. 6 shooting that took place in UNLV’s Frank and Estella Beam Hall (BEH), the question of how to reintegrate the building back into UNLV’s presence has been a prominent one.The primary group to take the initiative on this topic has been the Dec. 6 Memorial Committee. In an effort to revitalize the building, UNLV has decided to accept applications for commissioned artwork from UNLV students, faculty, staff and alumni 18 years of age and older.Meant to support healing, reflection and recovery, the submissions of proposals may be done by individuals or teams. As part of their submission, those that enter are expected to submit examples of previous work as well, large-scale art work being particularly sought after.Should a proposal be chosen, those who submitted it will receive $1,500 following the signing of an agreement with the Board of Regents of the Nevada System of Higher Education for their work on behalf of UNLV.Bryan Blankfield, co-chair of the Ad hoc December 6 Memorial Committee, said, “The Dec. 6 Memorial Committee began pursuing the idea of commissioned artwork in April 2024. At that point, we had already come up with a tentative design for a healing garden where students and faculty could quietly reflect on and remember those we lost on Dec 6. Constructing a healing garden will take some time, however. The mural is intended to give the UNLV community a more immediate means of healing and remembering our professors and colleagues.”Submissions must be turned in by Oct. 23, and the winning artwork chosen will eventually be installed at the entrance and front columns of BEH. Since the event, the Dec. 6 Memorial Committee (a committee of the faculty senate) has done their utmost to work out whether there is a way to reintegrate the building back into campus life.Sarah Quigley, director of special collections and archives in the university libraries and Dec. 6 Memorial Committee member, said, “We’ve had conversations about sort of short-term commemoration, long-term/permanent commemoration, there are some plans in the works and then also some things that are still under discussion.”As chair of the memorial artwork sub-committee (the group that is managing the artwork for BEH), Quigley noted that whatever decisions made must be approved by university administration to be carried out.“The goal of that was to just sort of change the way it feels to walk into that building, to brighten up the space a little bit, a little of course to honor our faculty members who were killed that day. The community is also a victim of that event. We all were affected by the shooting that happened and losing individuals who were close to us,” said Quigley.The committee intends to not only brighten the aura and essence of BEH following the tragedy but also to reclaim the building from the violence experienced.While the campus community members impacted are evidently kept in mind throughout this change, the Dec. 6 Memorial Committee has also been considering what kind of longstanding impression the art will leave on future or prospective students.“We’re also cognisant of the fact that new people are coming on campus this year that were not here when the shooting happened, that every year new people will come that were not connected to that event. We still want them to be able to enjoy the experience of looking at that artwork and having a personal experience with the works,” said Quigley.In addition to the artwork, there is a plan to include a QR code that will allow people to learn more about the victims and the overall shooting that happened. This provides those enjoying the art with the option to understand the deeper meaning behind it, regardless if they were directly impacted by the shooting.Notably, artists and anyone submitting entries are instructed to refrain from contacting anyone from the victims’ families. The reviewing process of applicants will take place from Oct. 24-Nov. 14, with the installation projected to take place from Nov. 20-27 this year.“While all submissions will be given equal consideration, I am especially looking forward to seeing those by our students and alumni. Ever since I began working at UNLV, I have been consistently impressed by the talent, and frankly brilliance, of our students. I feel very confident that we will receive great submissions,” said Blankfield.Further details on this project and entry requirements may be found at https://www.unlv.edu/unlvstrong/memorial-art.</div></body>

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Students called to enter Dec. 6 memorial art

Following the tragedy of the Dec. 6 shooting that took place in UNLV’s Frank and Estella Beam Hall (BEH), the question of how to reintegrate the building back into UNLV’s presence has been a prominent one. The primary group to take the initiative on this topic has been...