‘Provocative’ lockers cause concern

There’s a little-known place on campus where Cal State Long Beach students are allowed to express themselves through drawings, graffiti art, written messages and other small pieces of artwork.

This little-known place is called the art department’s student locker room, and some are concerned that these artistic efforts are affecting the health of the some of the Art Department’s staff members.

The Alien Locker

CSULB’s Art locker No. 285 belongs to illustration major Paul Zappia.

As Zappia walks along the art department’s locker room examining the quirky drawings and sexist messages on locker doors, he mentions that he pays $1 every semester to call a little piece of school property his own.

No. 285 has two strange, little baby aliens along the vertical locker door. Stuck in the middle of a row of locker doors with dark purples and bloody reds, the baby blue and lime green colors of Zappia’s locker artwork stand out.

College of the Arts Chair David A. Hadlock believes that what students call a room for artistic expression can become problematic for various reasons.

“When they paint in there with spray paint [fumes] start to fill other rooms in here,” Hadlock said, referring to the fact that the department’s offices are right next to the locker room. “I’ve had to let the staff here go because it’s toxic. The fumes from the spray paint, when is done in a confined area, creates a serious health hazard.”

Hadlock said they’ve discovered students using lacquer-based paints and that students usually apologize as soon as they find out about the dangers of the fumes they create.

The Ryan Gosling Locker

Apparently actor Ryan Gosling was on our campus, and he had sex against locker No. 655 according to the message scrawled on that locker.

According to the Code of Conduct For Fraternities and Sororities in the online version of the CSULB Resolving Differences Handbook, “defacing, marking, or writing graffiti on sidewalks or property shall be avoided.”

Nonetheless, art students have a sort of unwritten permit to write all over the locker room.

Other than the occasional graffiti around campus and in bathroom stalls, there is no other building on campus that allows students the freedom to artistically express themselves by painting, drawing and tagging on the walls.

Another problematic aspect of having this space, according to Hadlock, is the presence of individuals who do not attend the university, but come here precisely to write on the locker room.

“We were walking out here recently and a couple of people came up and asked, ‘Do you know where the place they call the locker room is?’ ” Hadlock said. “In conversation we discovered that they were not students and are connected to groups of people for whom tagging is at the heart of their lives.”

Hadlock pointed out that though they are not necessarily gang-related individuals, their presence on campus creates various liability issues.

The Defenders of Wildlife Locker

It is somewhat difficult to identify what type of person occupies each locker by the decorative art on it.

Locker No. 407 has various stickers that scream “animal lover.” The Defenders of Wildlife and Natural Resources Defense council member stickers give evidence of this.

There are political posters plastered all over the place. One of the middle walls has a poster with an always-inspiring Martin Luther King Jr. quote. The floor from the main hall that connects the only two entrance and exit doors is also covered with spray-painted messages. There’s the “Liberty Is Dying” message next to the one that said “Warning-Life Sucks.” The juxtaposition of these messages creates a sense of unity. Yet at the same time, it’s also an individual piece of art history left behind for future generations to see or to paint over.

The I Love You, Mom Locker

Although some of the images and words on the locker doors border on pornographic and offensive, there are the ones that look like the innocent work of kindergarteners.

Locker No. 30 has a painted depiction of a sun. Its purple outlines over white paint is reminiscent of the type of drawing a 5-year-old would make.

Locker No. 618 shows a sweet message from a CSULB student’s daughter congratulating her for getting into the university.

Declarations of love are written all over, right next to Priority Mail stickers that have been filled with drawings of hearts and spray paint cans.

Graphic design major Adrian Regalado admires the art that has been left behind by other students but worries about the negative consequences of having the art locker room.

“I thought it was a really cool idea that we could have a space where we can express ourselves,” Regalado said, “but I worry about the fumes.”

Regalado, who shares his locker with another student, has yet to leave his own locker artwork mark. But once he gets his own space, he will gladly do so.

Both the students and Hadlock are on the same page as far as the value of the locker room artwork. Zappia and Regalado do not want to see their beloved locker room painted over. Students have used this place to take pictures, make videos and just show off to their non-art major friends.

“I think this room is a landmark in our school,” Zappia said. “I can say to anybody that doesn’t come to this school that I’m an art student here and our locker room is so cool.”