VCU news

By Leila Ugincius

From the category “some assembly required”: Barnes & Noble at Virginia Commonwealth University has debuted its first VCU-themed jigsaw puzzle, created by rising junior Anna Wells.

Wells is a communication arts major in the School of the Arts, and storytelling is a natural fit for her. When she saw the call for a design reflecting the vibrant and eclectic culture of VCU and Richmond, she knew she could create an image that told the story of experiences familiar to the VCU community.

The Trademark Licensing team at VCU Business Services agreed. It is releasing the 500-piece puzzle in collaboration with Jiggy Puzzles, a New York-based woman-founded brand that focuses on artistic puzzles worthy of framing.

“We were looking for artists who can create designs that are fun, visually appealing and will engage puzzle enthusiasts of all ages,” said Anna Obermiller, communications specialist at VCU Business Services. “After reviewing Anna’s portfolio, we thought she would be a great fit.”

Once chosen for the project, Wells said the piece — initially titled “Pieces of Richmond” — came together rather quickly.

“I love telling stories,” she said, “and telling stories about Richmond through a map illustration seemed like the best way to communicate the character of different places around the city.”

The hardest part was puzzling out which sites to include. Knowing she couldn’t incorporate every aspect of VCU and the city, Wells started with some units within VCU — VCUarts, School of Business, College of Engineering and the MCV Campus.

In light of her VCUarts coursework, she also wanted to include seminal buildings such as The Depot and Franklin Terrace. And “my reason for including the airport was because it’s a notable place for a lot of students, since many of them fly in from other states or countries,” she said.

The scale of the map and the city’s geography precluded integrating major locales such as VCU’s Stuart C. Siegel Center and Richmond’s Carytown area. But Wells hopes the map evokes the personality of the community, whose students and residents imbue physical locations with character and memories.

“For example, when I look at this map, I remember all the little moments I’ve had with friends — a giant picnic at Libby Hill above Shockoe Bottom, driving into Richmond and seeing MCV and all the bridges over the James, and all the reading I've done at some parks in the Fan. I’m hoping that anyone who looks at this puzzle will be able to do the same,” she said. “This project was super fun, and I'm glad VCU looked for students who could fill the role. VCUarts makes up a core part of VCU, and so I'm happy that I got a chance to represent what VCUarts can do.”

Obermiller noted that while the work represents a one-of-a-kind, VCU-themed puzzle, it was also a rare opportunity for a student to showcase their work and have it sold in Barnes & Noble @ VCU.

“This project is an excellent opportunity to demonstrate VCU students’ uniqueness and creativity to display their work in an unconventional way,” she said.