In early 2018, the WKU Department of Art welcomed
members of the HAD Artist Collective from Visoko, Bosnia
and Herzegovina. As part of the International Years Of (IYO)
Bosnia and Herzegovina, these visiting artists provided mural
workshops for WKU students and the wider Bowling Green
community. Workshop participants had the opportunity to
observe the artists' unique wall cut process and assist in the
creation of the two murals you see here on either side of the
Kentucky Museum courtyard. The culmination of the visit was
a mural unveiling that took place on Friday, March 2nd, 2018.
HAD Collective artists Muhamed Bešlagić (Hamo), Anel Lepić,
and Damir Sarač grew up during the Bosnian War and, in
2015, came together to make artwork about Bosnia's past and
future. According to the Collective, "making already forgotten
human beings alive, visible, and important to everybody else is
what we intend to achieve with our artwork. We use all kinds
of hard surfaces, mainly walls – we scratch, carve, and engrave
wall layers to achieve depth and create the form of a human
portrait, often choosing everyday people from all sides of the
world." Using hammers, chisels, drills, and found paint, HAD
transforms abandoned buildings in the landscape of Bosnia
into sites for remembrance.
HAD Collective's visit was sponsored by the WKU
Department of Art, Potter College of Arts and Letters, the
Office of the International Programs, the Kentucky Museum,
and a SpiritFunder campaign.