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Red ribbons adorn trees on the Arts Quad.

Charter Day Weekend dawned with an extra surge of Big Red spirit thanks to the work of a College of Human Ecology design studio.

Late Thursday, students tied dozens of red ribbons on trees lining East Avenue and Tower Road and spanning the Arts Quad, signaling the start of this weekend’s sesquicentennial bash and welcoming alumni returning to campus.

Led by design and environmental analysis senior lecturer Rhonda Gilmore, the class project, “Studio Shift,” seeks to add a student signature to Charter Day Weekend. Gilmore had noticed that the campus was buzzing with events for alumni and visitors and wanted to provide students with an opportunity to engage more directly. “I wanted to mark this moment in time for the student population,” she said.

Throughout the weekend, Studio Shift students will hand out red ribbons in libraries and dining halls for their peers to tie to their backpacks, hoping students will post photos with the ribbons and using the social media hashtag #TheNext150.

“A lot of the celebrations for the 150th are geared toward lecture series, but we want to bring more of a lighthearted feel,” said Janna Mazur ’17. “After all, it is Cornell’s birthday.”

The ribbon-tying project accompanies four other sesquicentennial displays the studio has planned for Martha Van Rensselaer Hall and the Human Ecology Building (HEB): “Cornell 150” spelled in ribbons on the pedestrian bridge leading to HEB; Post-it Notes arranged into “Cornell 150” along a hallway outside Martha’s Cafe to encourage passersby to share what they like best about the college; a staircase installation inspired by the words of Cornell’s charter; and 150-themed pennants featuring historical photos from the college.

Each project allows students to plan “temporal” exhibits, since they will be shown only for one weekend, which Gilmore says is an invaluable skill for modern designers. Plus, the students later will practice more traditional exhibition skills, as they plan to create an exhibit for Reunion about these pop-up displays.

“It was an exercise for the studio to learn how to create a movement or how to generate buzz, basically,” said Gilmore. “They’re going to learn how to advocate for their design, and that’s an invaluable skill.”

Sara Birmingham ’15 is a student communications assistant for the College of Human Ecology.