Iris Rogel

Class of 2023

There is a problem with the overpopulation of pets throughout the world and if the mural proved to increase adoption rates at animal shelters, this could remedy this situation and provide a way for shelters to adopt out more pets instead of euthanizing innocent domestic animals to make room for more.

If proven successful, this method can provide a way for shelters around the world to adopt out more pets instead of euthanizing innocent domestic animals. A mural can help to lift spirits of workers, customers and volunteers and can change the overall culture and association people have with the animal shelter. Customers generally in a good mood are more likely to adopt.

If a mural with reflective mirror aspects depicting domestic animals is hung at the local humane society and the adoption rates, and average length of stay are collected for four weeks prior to the implementation of mural and four weeks after, then the adoption rates will increase because the mirrors draw immediate attention to the mural and have the potential to emotionally influence viewers to consider adopting. 

My project can be categorized as a create project since I am testing my creation. It also falls under the descriptive research category as I am using a survey as well as analyzing adoption rate information to identify trends or characteristics. 

I am measuring the rates of adoption at an animal shelter over an extended period of time (specifically once a week for 4 weeks before and after the completion of the mural). 

One limitation for my project was time. The adoption rates each month vary significantly on a normal year. So, in order to determine whether or not my mural had an impact on adoption rates, I would have to collect data for a much longer time period both before and after the hanging of the mural. 

Unfortunately, I only received five responses on my survey. Since I only received 5 responses to my survey, the Central Limit Theorem can not be applied to my data. Even though 60% of respondents claimed they strongly agreed with the idea that the mural was inspirational in considering pet adoption, I can’t use this data as compelling evidence that my mural was influential.

I have been able to better understand the relationship between art and influence as well as the components of mural construction and how these factors can be utilized to impact communities and the lives of domestic animals. Although I was not able to prove the effectiveness of my mural with mirror aspects, I was able to fill a gap as well as work to increase the knowledge and understanding of mirrors in art and their ability to influence viewers whether that be at an animal shelter or for another group. 

Some next steps I will take are to continue tracking the adoption rates for the next year and compare these rates to the rates last year in order to see if there is any long term effects of the Mural that couldn’t be seen after just one month of data collection. I will also encourage other artists to experiment with different mediums, techniques and materials to create art that brings a new level of depth and meaning.