UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State’s College of Arts and Architecture will host the unveiling of the "Mending Walls" mural on Friday, April 12, at 3:15 p.m. at the Korner Tower Terrace located between the Theatre Building and the Stuckeman Family Building in the University Park campus arts district. 

The mural was painted by students from the college while having discussions surrounding topics related to race and gender.

“It [discussion] builds empathy among people, and in today’s world you can never have enough empathy,” said Robin Bierly, director of student engagement for the College of Arts and Architecture and one of the coordinators of the mural project.

The idea for this mural was born when Penn State alumna Pam Hervey, director and producer of the documentary “Mending Walls,” and artist Hamilton Glass came to Penn State for a screening of the film, which follows a public art project by Glass in Richmond, Virginia, in 2020.

The documentary project brought together 30 artists from different backgrounds, ethnicities and perspectives to create 16 murals across the city.

Adl "Ko" Balogun, a fourth-year student studying art with a concentration in drawing and painting, was in attendance for the screening of the documentary and said he had the idea for Penn State to create their own version of the project.

“It took us the span of two years, and now I’ve designed a mural that we have been painting,” Balogun said.

The concept for the mural was inspired by Balogun’s younger sister’s desire to enter the field of art therapy, said Balogun. Along with Milo Nicely, a fellow art major with a concentration in drawing and painting, Balogun designed the mural with colors that represent growth and light.

“It’s really hard to find your way if you don’t have some kind of visual representation of what you want to do,” Balogun said. “I used her likeness to kind of embody that idea.”

The mural supports the College of Arts and Architecture’s strategic goal to “establish a culture of antiracism and anti-oppression that embraces individual identities, fosters a culture of inclusion, and promotes equity through curricula, values, standards, ideals, policies and practices.”

Bierly and colleagues Rudy Shepherd, professor of art, and Matt Olson, facilities manager, coordinated the seven painting and talking sessions, which began in February. Approximately 15-20 students from across the college attended each session where student volunteers facilitated conversations related to the strategic goal.

“Painting the mural is a kind of gateway into guided, in-depth conversations that lead to participants talking about things that aren’t always talked about,” facilitator and graphic design student Cory Korsah said.

The College of Arts and Architecture comprises more than 30 majors and, according to Bierly, the main goal of the mural project was to bring together students from across the college to gain a deeper understanding of one another.

“It's important for people to get to know each other on a different level,” Bierly said. “Understanding people's lived experiences really helps to build empathy for others and is the key for people to get along, work well and respect each other.”