Evan Schmagranoff, artist of the winning mural and senior nursing major, said various signs he saw celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Fitness and Recreation Center inspired him to create his mural.

The mural’s title is “The Fitness Center,” which is in bold black letters with a gold outline on the bottom of each letter. The other objects included on the mural are “30 Years” and “1986-2016.” The objects are also in bold black letters with a gold outline on the bottom. The centerpiece is a barbell cut in half with a weight plate under it and includes the word “Purdue.” In the upper corners, there are two horizontal lines, one gold and one black. The lines point to the title. In the bottom of the painting, there are two horizontal black lines pointing to the barbell and weight plate.

The mural will also include the names of some members from the pilot program. Fourteen active members work at the center, and each one will sign their name on the mural. The mural is in the indoor running track of the center.

The mural is a brush painting, which is something new for Schmagranoff who has more experience with spray paint.

Schmagranoff is also a student worker at the center and said that talking with some of the original members helped him come up with his idea.

“I have talked to some of the original members and thought it would be cool if they had something permanently on the walls of the fitness center,” Schmagranoff said. “I instantly knew that this is what I wanted my mural to be about.”

Schmagranoff said he was not sure how he wanted his mural to look and settled on a uniform design. He said that this was hard to pull off because any flaw would stand out and couldn’t be easily covered.

“I saw previous murals from the past that tried to pull off some hard detail, and I wasn’t sure that was the route I wanted to go. Instead, I went simple and bold in my design,” Schmagranoff said. “As for the weights and barbells, I thought those captured a huge part of the fitness center and wanted that to be the centerpiece of the mural.”

Schmagranoff said he chose the 30th anniversary as the theme for his mural because he wanted it to be different from the other murals in the center.

“All the other murals on the wall seem to be about intramurals themselves. I decided to take a different approach on something that hasn’t been done,” Schmagranoff said.

Schmagranoff said incorporating the existing members makes the mural stand out because of their roles in the center.

“This is something that I thought would stand out from other murals here. I wanted the original members and current members to have a part of this,” Schmagranoff said. “Without the original or current members, there would be no fitness center, so I saw it fitting that they should be directly involved in the mural.”

Matt Dudzik, assistant athletic director for facilities and recreational sports, said Schmagranoff’s piece was chosen because of his idea to have the original members’ signatures in it.

Dudzik said that the 30th anniversary was just one of the themes that could have been chosen, but that this mural highlights what the existing members have done for the center.

“It represents and honors something they were a part of from day one. It is a reminder of the time and dedication they have given to the fitness center and their own well-being,” Dudzik said. “The FRC staff does an amazing job by keeping it current, clean, and providing care and attention to the members. It is an important place for students to work out their stress and maintain a healthy lifestyle.”

Schmagranoff said that from his painting, he wants current members to know the history of the center.

“I want current members to know how long this fitness center has been up and running. From what I hear, a lot has changed from the beginning, but it is important to know where it all started,” Schmagranoff said. “I guess I just want members to know that this building has long history and hopefully a long future.”

Schamgranoff spends a great deal of time at the center, whether he is working out or working at his job.

“It was my first gym to work out at, and I have made a lot of progress here. For me to be able to add artwork to the walls of a place that means so much, it’s priceless,” Schmagranoff said.

Schamagranoff said he wants students to view the center as a place to unwind at and come out as a better person.

“I want students to view the FRC as a place to work out at, have fun, train hard, accomplish goals and to have respect for it,” Schmagranoff said. “It takes both physical and mental strength to succeed at the gym.”

Schmagranoff said that he is thankful for Dudzik providing him with this opportunity. He also said that without the fitness and recreation center staff running things smoothly, there would have been no center to dedicate his mural to.