Writing Center Displays Student Artwork

USC’s Writing Center, located on Mark Taper Hall’s second floor, is home to free tutoring workshops and individual consultation services for all students.

However, in late October, the center presented an art gallery exhibition in their office featuring original art pieces made by five USC students.

What caused the Writing Center to establish such a gallery in the first place?

Richard Fliegel, Dornsife College’s Associate Dean of Undergraduate Programs said after the center moved to a new location with no windows, they wanted to have students produce art that would energize the office. This past summer, five out of 22 USC students were selected and given $500 each to create their work.

The students were inspired by famous literary novels such as Colum McCann’s Let the Great World Spin and Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 to make their artwork.

One unique art piece in the collection is a sculpture of three hands created by Joshua Ramirez, who graduated in May. Ramirez was inspired by J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye and used his father’s hands to mold the sculpture. 

Geoffrey Middlebrook, the Writing Center Director and a Dornsife professor, said he was pleased with the art pieces the students created. Fliegel also said the students’ work exceeded his expectations, and he hopes this art exhibition is a project the Writing Center can do again in the future.

The gallery exhibition was funded by the Provost’s Office of Undergraduate Programs, USC Roski School of Art, the USC Writing Program, the Phi Kappa Phi honor society, and the USC Dornsife Office of Academic Programs.