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User:DontCallMeLateForDinner/DraftMSURock

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The Rock
The Rock in 2006, promoting a fraternity
Year
  • 1873 (original site)
  • 1985 (current site)
TypeBillboard, natural monument
MediumStone
SubjectInscribed "Class '73" (covered by paint)
LocationCampus of Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan
Coordinates42°43′41″N 84°28′39″W / 42.728088°N 84.477558°W / 42.728088; -84.477558

The Rock is a large pudding stone on the campus of Michigan State University, which has been painted with messages by campus groups since the 1960s. Unearthed in 1873, and installed on the campus by the class of 1873, the Rock became known as a site for engaged and married couples in the 1910s. Nicknamed the "Engagement Rock" in the 20th century, its purpose shifted in the 1960s and 1970s when graffiti began to appear on it for protest and promotional purposes.

Despite the university's efforts to remove the paint, the painting of the Rock continued, and the practice was recognized by the university in the 1980s. Since then, the Rock has been repainted overnight on a regular basis, promoting campus organizations and individual messages. Most messages are painted over nightly, but some messages have remained for longer: in 2014, a tribute to 8-year-old cancer victim "Princess Lacey" Holsworth remained in place for weeks, and a memorial to the 2023 Michigan State University shooting remained for months.


History

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A large pudding stone was unearthed in May 1873 near the intersection of Grand River Avenue and Michigan Avenue in East Lansing, a site nicknamed the "Delta." The senior class of 1873 took interest in the stone, and they appealed to the Faculty-Academic Senate for permission to place the stone on a lawn at the college. Their request was granted, and on May 24, 1873, the seniors were excused from class to move the stone. The stone was moved across campus to a forested plot of land known as the "Sacred Space," the present-day location of Beaumont Tower. A team of 20 oxen was required to move the stone.[1][2] The stone was heavy enough to sink into the ground again that night, although no record exists of the stone's weight.[3][4]

The stone was again unearthed, and a member of the senior class carved "Class '73" into it. The initial carving was misspelled, and the corrections to the carving make the text off-center. The stone was officially dedicated on May 30, 1873.[4]

A bench was added in front of the Rock in the late 1910s, which became a popular destination for engaged and married couples. The Rock was also known as the "Engagement Rock" during the 20th century, due to the number of marriage proposals that occurred there.[2] The Rock was covered in ivy for decades, with photographs from 1907 through

The Rock is painted nearly daily, leaving new paint little time to dry. As a result, large pieces of paint have fallen off the Rock, revealing the layers of paint. In one instance, the MSU surplus property department donated pieces of the paint to local jeweler Mel Swartz, who began making jewelry from the material in 2016. Swartz dried the paint in the sun for a year before working on it, making it similar to Fordite, an accumulation of layered and cured paint produced in automotive manufacturing.[5] Another artwork inspired by the Rock is Pet Rock (2001) by MSU alumnus Jon Anthony, a 25-foot-long (7.6 m) long abstract oil painting depicting the layers of paint on the Rock. Pet Rock has been shown at the Kresge Art Museum, and is currently displayed in MSU's Wells Hall.[6][7]

Messages

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The Rock can be painted on by anyone and is used for anything from birthday wishes and marriage proposals to political statements. The Rock is also a hot spot for rival universities to paint. As a result, during football and basketball season MSU students often camp next to the Rock to protect it.

One of the most poignant moments in the history of the Rock occurred on the evening of September 11, 2001. Within hours of the September 11 attacks, virtually every activist group on campus, along with the university administration, had organized an impromptu candlelight vigil at the floodplain next to the Rock. The Rock was painted green and white with the words "MSU students in remembrance and reflection" on the front, and an American flag on the back. Several thousand students attended. In a break from normal rock-painting etiquette, the university asked all campus groups to abstain from repainting the Rock for one week.

On Wednesday, April 9, 2014, at 9:00 pm, hundreds gathered at the rock to hold a vigil for Lacey Holsworth, dubbed "Princess Lacey", a young 8-year-old girl with terminal cancer who befriended the MSU Basketball team. A movement, highlighted by an article in the Detroit News, sought to ban all future painting of the rock and to preserve it as a permanent memorial to Lacey.[8] By April 21, 2014, four days after her memorial, it was repainted with the message "Congratulations graduates, be a hero to someone".[9][10]

Shortly after the MSU mass shooting that killed three students and injured five others, on February 13, 2023, the rock was painted black with the text "How many more?" in red paint and "Stay Safe MSU" below in white paint.[11] On February 15, the message had been painted over to show a message apparently supporting gun rights stating; "Allow us to defend ourselves & carry on campus." The message was replaced the same day with a memorial to the three deceased victims and those affected, "To those we lost / to those healing" with the deceased victims first names included in the message.[12]

The Rock was painted a third time that day by Detroit-based artist Anthony Lee at the university's request. Lee's artwork included the Spartan logo and the message "Always a Spartan. Brian. Arielle. Alexandria," and remained the same for months, the longest The Rock has gone unchanged in recent history.[13]

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The Rock throughout history
  •  
    At its former location near Beaumont Tower, 1979
  •  
    Commemorating "Princess Lacey," 2006
  •  
    Emulating the Rock's 1873 appearance, 2011
  •  
    "How Many More?", 2023
  •  
    "Always A Spartan", 2023

References

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  1. ^ Dozier, Vickki (February 7, 2018). "From the Archives: 'The Rock' at Michigan State University". Lansing State Journal. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
  2. ^ a b Janssen, David (1979). "The Rock: Its relationship to the campus and campus tradition is what's important". In McClaran, Tamara J. (ed.). 1979 Red Cedar Log: a question of survival. East Lansing: Michigan State University. p. 160.
  3. ^ "Corrections" (PDF). MSU Alumni. Vol. 34, no. 4. MSU Alumni Association. Summer 2017. p. 5. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
  4. ^ a b Russell, Jennie (March 2023). "Exhibits: The Rock at MSU". On the Banks of the Red Cedar. Michigan State University. Retrieved 2024-09-16.
  5. ^ "Want a piece of the MSU Rock? Take home some Spartan Agate". WKAR Public Media. December 5, 2016. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
  6. ^ Cosentino, Lawrence (November 7, 2012). "Forever Young". City Pulse. Retrieved 2024-09-18.
  7. ^ Sweet, Megan (April 17, 2015). "Pet Rock". 517 ARTsearch. Arts Council of Greater Lansing. Retrieved 2024-09-18.
  8. ^ Paul, Tony (April 10, 2014). "'The Rock' at Michigan State should remain a tribute to 'Princess Lacey'". Detroit News. Archived from the original on 2014-04-13. Retrieved 2021-01-12.
  9. ^ Miller, Matthew (April 21, 2014). "Lacey's tribute highlights long history of 'the Rock' at MSU". Lansing State Journal. Archived from the original on 2014-04-21.
  10. ^ "'Princess Lacey' tributes painted over on rock". USA Today. April 21, 2014. Retrieved 2024-09-18.
  11. ^ Kohli, Anisha (February 14, 2023). "Michigan State's Message After Mass Shooting: How Many More?". Time. Archived from the original on 2023-02-14. Retrieved 2023-02-14.
  12. ^ Witsil, Frank (February 15, 2023). "MSU Rock painted with 'Allow us to defend ourselves' message — and gone within hours". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
  13. ^ Ellis, Mike (May 3, 2023). "MSU's Rock still for first time in generation as campus mourns". Lansing State Journal. Retrieved 2023-07-15.
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See also

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