With lots of spunk and lots of Sharpies, Kate Johnson is asking students to write phrases on her body as part of an expressive art project.
From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., she'll be standing against the wall near the bathrooms on the second floor of the Arts and Journalism Building, were two weeks ago she had stapled note cards to the wall with phrases from students depicting things they wanted to tell someone but didn't have the guts to say.
She was told by Kevin Kenyon, vice president of Facilities Planning and Management, to take them down because she was defacing school property, so she decided to improvise.
"You should come write on me," she said to students passing by Wednesday afternoon.
To help with her gutsy project, Johnson got her mom, her boyfriend and some other friends to help.
Her boyfriend, Andrew Yundt, said he was impressed with the response from students, who started forming a steady line during passing period at 11:45 a.m.
"I thought it was kind of extreme," he said. "I wouldn't even stand out there wearing half my clothes."
Johnson's mom, Betty, said she didn't know what to expect. She works at a women's boutique in West Lafayette, but she took the day off to support her daughter.
"I was kind of shocked at first," she said, "but I'm happily surprised [with the turn out]."
Students who participated said they were impressed with Johnson's confidence and the idea behind the project.
"I think it's really interesting that she's putting herself out there," freshman Taylor Jessup said. "She's letting people express themselves through her."
Johnson's mom helped her document the event on videotape. Johnson said an important element of the project is showing progression.
In a few weeks, she'll put posters up on the flyer boards around campus and she'll document participation over time by how much is written.
Johnson said she was nervous at first about asking people to write on her body, but then she realized that getting people to take part was more important than her initial anxiety.
"It doesn't exist unless people participate in it," she said.
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