Wouldn't it be wild to have a piece of real art in your room? Not just a poster, not just something your friend made you, but art that has been displayed in a real museum? It sounds crazy, it sounds far-fetched, but it's not. In fact, it had been the norm at Brandeis until recent years.
In the past, it was openly advertised to all students that the Rose Art Museum had a special collection of art to loan out to students. The objective of this program was to "make art available to students in their dormitory rooms so that the appreciation of art becomes a part of everyday experience rather than just a separate classroom situation." But disinterest, damaged art and general campus ignorance pushed the Student Art Loan Program to the back of the University's collective mind.
Now that's about to change. Two interns and Fine Arts students, Erin Holzman '04 and Kira Herskovitz '05, had heard rumors of the program during their time at Brandeis. "I kept hearing about it everywhere," Herskovitz said. "And now it's so exciting that it's really happening. It's like a little legend at this school." Holzman and Herskovitz both reinvested themselves in trying to find out about the old program and starting it up again.
Their efforts have paid off. The Rose and the University are reinstating the Rose Art Loan Program for Fine Arts majors starting this semester all over campus. While this is a huge undertaking, students have gone over the old Rose collection to curate it themselves and pick the best pieces for students to take home. The entire program is part of a huge push to expose students all over campus to the arts. "The idea is that it's a real piece of art in their dorm," Herskovitz said. The Fine Arts majors were picked because of their own special appreciation for the art, its meaning and what it means to take care of it. "We are starting with a small group that knows how to manage these pieces," explained Director of Residence Life Maggie Balch.

While all of the pieces included in the collection that was originally offered to students aren't included in this specific offering, Art Director of Education Stphanie Molinard is quick to explain that the museum isn't offering students a substandard collection. "It's not a bad collection that we just dump on students," she explained. "It's a good collection meant for the students. It was donated for the students."
Pieces were chosen based not on what they look like, since art appreciation is so subjective, but rather on ease of transportation and hanging. Larger pieces were cut because they were heavier and would cause too much damage to the dorm room walls while hanging.

Despite the care that will be taken in hanging the art, there is likely to be damage to the walls regardless. Students are expected to repair that damage before they leave Brandeis for the year. Each student participating in the program is required to sign a contract that provides his campus address, quad director's name, permanent address and phone number. The art loaned will be monitored through this filing system in a joint effort between the students running the program, the museum and the Department of Residence Life. Students with a history of damage to their rooms or other concerns that may affect the art directly won't be stopped from borrowing, but Balch said that she would bring up any major concerns she had with the entire committee in charge of the program.

They all also hope to expand the program from just Fine Arts students to the campus as a whole. As it stands now, all pieces not picked up by students will be hung or displayed in common spaces around campus.
But the real worth for the Rose Art Loan Program is not just in allowing students to have a piece of the Rose Art Museum in their own home, but to bring the arts personally into their lives. Scott Edmiston, the director of the Office of the Arts, said: "I'm thrilled this program has been reactivated since I'm a great believer that art should and can be naturally integrated into our daily lives. I'm confident that having this artwork in their dorm rooms will inspire students' creativity as well as their intellect. They'll be able to experience the same feelings of innovation and inspiration that one feels when walking into the Rose." Balch feels much the same way: "I think it's a huge conversationalist piece ... You can talk for hours and hours about that and learn so much about who that person is."

As Brandeis begins to refocus its attention on the arts at our school, this program will be one of the stepping stones to get students talking again. There are hopes that after seeng art in their friends' rooms, more students will want to visit the Rose and take in the groundbreaking exhibitions it offers semester after semester. Artists on campus will be able to draw inspiration from these pieces for their own art, while other students begin to expand their understanding of art and the arts through the pieces their friends have chosen to display in their own space.