CCI Exploring Ways to Honor Passed VCD Professor

On the weekend of June 15, 2018, a beloved Kent State School of Visual Communication assistant professor named Christopher Darling died. The 36-year-old artist’s sudden death shocked his peers and students alike.

 

Now Kent State is looking at his legacy and planning a way for its students to feel his influence for years to come.

 

Amy Reynolds, the Dean of the College of Communication and Information, explained why Darling was a vital part of Kent State and the VCD program.

 

“I always found real inspiration from Christopher,” Reynolds said. “He was someone who genuinely cared about the community, which showed in his design. He found a way to make a living using his passions.”

 

One of Darling’s most notable works is the Hough Mural, which he completed with the help of several students during the summer of 2017. Not only is it the largest mural in Cleveland, but the New York Society of Illustrators issued the 112-by-40-foot piece a silver medal in the category of Surface Design.

 

 

The faces that comprise the mural are refinements of self-portraits that inmates at Cleveland’s Community Based Correctional Facility created as part of 6-week art classes that Darling held last summer.

 

According to Cleveland.com, another one of Darling’s mural will be “installed at the Cleveland Metropolitan School District’s New Tech Collinwood school,” by the City Club of Cleveland. It is a part of the club’s “Freedom of Speech” mural project.

 

David Robins, the Interim Director of the School of Visual Communication, says social justice is a topic that Darling was passionate about.

 

“Social Justice issues is something he cared deeply about. [He cared] for people who aren’t in the mainstream of society and were kind of left behind,” Robins said. “I think he may have related to that a bit.”

 

One of the students who assisted Darling with the mural is Lacy Talley, a VCD self-proclaimed “super senior” in her fifth year at Kent State.

 

“He actually convinced me to stay in school, ‘cuz I was about to drop out,” Talley explained. “I was going to drop out of Kent, drop out of the program and just go to work. But he convinced me, no, stay with it; it gets better in time, you’ve just gotta be patient.”

 

Talley first found out about Professor Darling’s death in an email that the school sent out to VCD students. The email contained contact information for students who felt they might need to talk to the University Psychological Services.

 

“I try to stress to the students if anything can come out of this it’s we should have a better understanding of mental health issues,” Robins said. There was a follow-up email that contained information about his funeral. Talley attended the service held at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Cleveland Heights.

“He actually convinced me to stay in school, ‘cuz I was about to drop out" – Lacy Talley, former student of Kent State Professor Christopher Darling, who tragically passed away in June. Find out more about the story here later today. #KentState #JMCRPP

— michael lemonade (@cunningcollin) September 10, 2018

“It was sad as hell,” Talley said, noting the reception after the service was a bit easier. “It was more uplifting, but at the same time I wanted him to be there to celebrate.”

 

Robins shared the sentiment, reflecting on the kind of person Darling was.

 

“I don’t know if we will find another person like him,” Robins said. “Maybe he can be an inspiration to others that have a passion to do something…He was passionate enough to inspire those around them.”

 

Now, the question remains of how the VCD program will memorialize Professor Darling. In Kalamazoo, Michigan, his hometown, Darling’s parents are creating an exhibit of his works to go on display in the spring. They wanted to have a show in Taylor Hall at the same time, but the timing didn’t work out with the college’s schedule.

 

“The problem is our gallery is booked until the end of the year,” Robins said. “We couldn’t make time for it in the spring. It was just too soon. However, we definitely want to have a show of his. It could as early as the fall of 2019.”

 

The Fall semester of 2019 is the 50th anniversary of the program, and Robins thinks the timing would be appropriate.

 

“I think it would be a fitting time to pay tribute to his work,” Robins said. “I don’t think anyone would be opposed to the suggestion.”

 

In a meeting of professors, staff and students held during the first week of school, a student suggested that the gallery in Taylor Hall, the building which contains a majority of the major’s classes, be renamed after him. That could have a better ring to it than the space’s current name: “VCD Taylor Hall Gallery.”

 

If that doesn’t work out, Talley has a different idea for the gallery: “Do a little mural on the floor, with a whole bunch of whales, ‘cuz he loved whales.”

 

Whatever decision the university agrees on, Reynolds wants to make sure his parents and wife approval on the tribute.

 

“We want to have some type of show in his honor because he was such a good guy,” Reynolds said. “We want to work with his parents and wife first and respect their wishes. I want to make sure this is something everyone wants.”

Tragically, Christopher Darling died this past June. Find out how Kent State is planning to honor his impact in the coming months. #KentState #JMCRPP

— Linda Stocum (@linda_stocum) September 9, 2018

 

Sources:

Lacy Talley, VCD Graduating Senior

Cell: 216-482-0680

Email: Ltalley4@kent.edu

Amy Reynolds, Dean of the College of Communication and Information

Email: areyno24@kent.edu

David Robins, Interim Director of the School of Visual Communication

Phone:330.672.5852

Email: drobins@kent.edu