A Painting Commissioned by the University of Michigan: Wolverine Village's Dr. E. Royster Harper Hall
Being asked to paint something for the University of Michigan is pretty special when you’re a U-M alumni. Getting commissioned to create artwork for the grand opening of a brand-new residence hall complex is a whole different level of “wait…they want ME to do this?”
"I was not expecting the level of detail Jenny provided in the painting. It will be a great gift." —Elaine H., Director of University of Michigan Conference & Event Services
This fall, Wolverine Village officially opened on Central Campus, marking the first U-M housing complex built specifically for first-year students since Oxford Houses opened in 1963. The five-building complex includes more than 2,300 beds and a nearly 900-seat dining hall, making it one of the university’s largest new residential projects in decades.
I was commissioned to create a hand-painted ink and watercolor illustration of Dr. E. Royster Harper Hall, the only named residence hall in Wolverine Village and the first building on the U-M campus named for a Black woman. Harper served as U-M's vice president for student life for 18 years before retiring in 2019.
The original 8x10 painting was presented as a commemorative gift at the September 18 ribbon-cutting ceremony, with prints also made for the other speakers and participants, including U-M President Domenico Grasso.
And this one means a little extra to me because I graduated from the Stamps School of Art & Design (with a BFA in Scientific Illustration), and I spent my entire time at Michigan living on South Campus. Wolverine Village is being built on the former Elbel Field site between Hoover and Hill, so it’s an area I know well—even though I never could have imagined, while walking around campus as a student, that I’d eventually be asked to paint something for its newest residence halls.
The U-M official who commissioned the painting left me a five-star Etsy review, which was pretty incredible to see attached to a project of this significance.
I’ve had the opportunity to paint some incredible things over the past eight years, including a project for The White House, but this one hits a little differently. There’s something surreal about returning to a place that helped shape you and being asked to contribute a tiny piece of art to its history. And yes, I’m now very excited to eventually go see the building in person and compare it to the painting—which feels like a pretty legitimate excuse to go to the Ann Arbor Art Fair next year. GO BLUE!
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