The plain white walls of Crabbe Hall leave much to the imagination, as the old building gets its character from the old oak doors and the dark green baseboards. But now, when students enter, an orange pillar peeks out from the corner, and as they approach, they are greeted with a bright splash of color.
Over the summer, live-in resident artists Andrew Bablo and Pat Milbery painted an elaborate yet simplistic mural in the Crabbe Hall lobby, outside the Oak Room Gallery. Using spray paint, Bablo and Milbery were inspired by the curved ceilings, pillars, and the green-marbled baseboards.
Bablo previously worked in the fashion industry for different retail lines; he has also been the editor-in-chief of Steez Magazine for over nine years. Milbery’s art can be spotted all over Denver on different buildings, restaurants, bars and apartments.
The mural consists of eye-catching colors and sharp bold lines, covering the right side of the hall near the entrance. Out of the five sections, no two are the same. Most of the color scheme plays with blues and greens, accompanied by reds, yellows and oranges to liven the scene. Pillars of sharp black and white lines accompany the piece, splitting the mural into the five unique sections.
Kathy Riley, an art education major, is a muralist herself. The sophomore said she appreciates the mural and knows what careful planning went into it. Riley enjoy how the colors stand out, as well as the way the patterns and the contrast of the black and white. She also noticed how the artists utilized Crabbe Hall’s structure.
“It draws the viewer into the space,” Riley said.
Reilee Adams, a freshman graphic design major, said the mural brings a lot of color to the building. Adams also said she likes the simplicity of the art and how it incorporated visual art’s basic elements like line, color, value and the use of shade in the piece.
“It brings a lot of color to the building,” Adams said.
Adams said the building was already beautiful before the mural was installed, but for her, it really enhances the building–which was the artist’s goal. Bablo and Milbery’s collaborative piece is now on permanent display in Crabbe Hall, and can be viewed during normal building hours.
