{"id":16134,"date":"2025-05-13T12:03:50","date_gmt":"2025-05-13T19:03:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogschapman.wpenginepowered.com\/wilkinson\/2025\/05\/13\/a-museum-without-walls-how-the-escalette-collection-inspires-all-corners-of-chapman\/"},"modified":"2026-07-17T22:50:08","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T22:50:08","slug":"a-museum-without-walls-how-the-escalette-collection-inspires-all-corners-of-chapman","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.chapman.edu\/wilkinson\/2025\/05\/13\/a-museum-without-walls-how-the-escalette-collection-inspires-all-corners-of-chapman\/","title":{"rendered":"A Museum Without Walls: How the Escalette Collection Inspires All Corners of Chapman"},"content":{"rendered":"

This special edition of From Our Eyes is written by Hayden Yoss (\u201825 Art History), but features more than just Yoss\u2019 view. Yoss interviewed Chapman students from different areas across campus, asking them about the<\/i> Phyllis and Ross Escalette Permanent Collection of Art<\/i><\/a>, \u201cmuseum without walls.\u201d Yoss was interested in finding out what non-art major students thought of the art pieces throughout the Chapman campus.\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

At Chapman University, art is not confined to galleries. Art lives in our hallways, courtyards, classrooms, and study spaces. The Phyllis and Ross Escalette Permanent Collection of Art<\/a> in Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences<\/a>, known as Chapman\u2019s \u201cmuseum without walls,\u201d is a unique and dominant presence on campus. But beyond its aesthetic appeal, it actively shapes how students across all disciplines see the world, learn, and engage with each other.<\/p>\n

To explore this impact, I interviewed students from different colleges across Chapman: Crean College of Health and Behavioral Sciences, College of Performing Arts (COPA), Argyros College of Business and Economics, Attallah College of Educational Studies, and Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences. Their thoughts demonstrate what many feel but do not always say: Art matters everywhere.<\/p>\n

Seeing Chapman\u2019s Campus Through a New Lens<\/b><\/p>\n

\"\"
Roslyn Mazzilli, Obid (Oh Boy I\u2019m Dancing), painted aluminum, 1983. Gift of David and Holly Wilson.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Many students mentioned that although they pass the artworks daily, they are only just beginning to realize their deeper meaning. Rachel Meyer (\u201825 Sociology)in Wilkinson College, said, \u201cI don\u2019t think I\u2019ve ever interacted with the Escalette Collection in-depth, but I\u2019ve seen the sculptures, like the one in front of Oliphant Hall, [titled Obid <\/i>(1983) by Roslyn Mazzilli] throughout my four years, and I\u2019m more interested now. Realizing I haven\u2019t taken advantage of the art Chapman has to offer made me want to learn more.\u201d<\/p>\n

Others were deeply impacted by specific works. For example, Livia Jadwin (\u201825 Health Sciences)in Crean College brought up Lia Halloran\u2019s (Art) Paper Dolls <\/i>(2017) in the Keck Center for Science and Engineering (1 University Dr), Floor 3, Hallway 308. \u201cIt represents the connection of being a human through space and time; we are all connected, and we are all human,\u201d she said. These moments of reflection often happen when we least expect them, looking around during a study break, walking to class, or waiting for the elevator.<\/p>\n

The Educational Power of Art<\/b><\/p>\n

Regardless of their major, every student I spoke with found a connection to art in their field of study.<\/p>\n

\u201cArt can tell us a lot that sometimes words can\u2019t describe,\u201d Meyer explained. \u201cIn my Sociology Borders and Migration class, we looked at children\u2019s drawings and objects left in the desert from their migration journey. These pieces speak to emotion and experience, just like the art in the Escalette Collection.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even students in very different fields saw surprising intersections. Sydney Kolker (\u201825 Accounting)in Argyros College said, \u201cArt adds personality to a space and reminds me that creativity is essential, even in structured academic fields.\u201d Similarly, Jadwin emphasized that in health sciences, \u201cArt is used to see the unseeable, like the breakdown of bodily systems. We depend on it when we don\u2019t have access to cadavers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Art Speaks to Everyone<\/b><\/p>\n

Though not all students initially saw the Escalette Collection as relevant to their majors, many were surprised to find out that art can enrich learning in any field. From the perspective of future educators, Sofia Fernandez (\u201825 Education) in Attallah College emphasized that fostering creativity in young students is essential. \u201cCreative activities can boost student engagement and morale. Even in academics, creativity helps students become more well-rounded and see different perspectives,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Additionally, Meyer said, \u201cYou may find something that applies to your major even when you least expect it. Art is in everything<\/p>\n

\"\"
Lia Halloran, Paper Dolls, ink on architectural film, 2017. Purchased with funds from the Escalette Endowment.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

from political science to physics. It just takes a certain eye to see it.\u201d Kolker repeated this thought, encouraging students to reflect. \u201cArt can challenge how we think, make us more observant, and connect to broader issues, like politics, identity, and innovation.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Escalette Collection belongs not just to art majors but to everyone. Whether you are composing music, solving equations, or learning to heal the human body, creativity and visual storytelling enrich your perspective.\u00a0 Pause next time you pass a sculpture, mural, or painting on your way to class. Ask what it might be saying. You might find that it has more to do with your life and studies than you ever realized. As Briana Boyd (\u201825 Strategic & Corporate Communication, Film, Music ) put it best, \u201cYou never will know unless you just give it a shot and take a few minutes out of your day.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This special edition of From Our Eyes is written by Hayden Yoss (\u201825 Art History), but features more than just […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":66,"featured_media":16135,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"custom_author_name":"","chapman_pin_hero_slider":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[36,2630,5,2631],"tags":[3040,3785],"class_list":["post-16134","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-art","category-art-collections","category-news","category-wilkinson-college","tag-escalette-permanent-collection-of-art","tag-museum-without-walls"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.chapman.edu\/wilkinson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16134","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.chapman.edu\/wilkinson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.chapman.edu\/wilkinson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.chapman.edu\/wilkinson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/66"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.chapman.edu\/wilkinson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16134"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.chapman.edu\/wilkinson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16134\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17095,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.chapman.edu\/wilkinson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16134\/revisions\/17095"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.chapman.edu\/wilkinson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16135"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.chapman.edu\/wilkinson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16134"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.chapman.edu\/wilkinson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16134"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.chapman.edu\/wilkinson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16134"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}