'See yourself in the figures': New HUB mural celebrates diversity, belonging

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — A new mural celebrating racial, sexual and gender diversity is nearing completion at Penn State's HUB-Robeson Center on the University Park campus. The piece covers the walls of a stairway connecting the Paul Robeson Cultural Center and the Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity, and it will be unveiled to the public Wednesday, April 3.

Through the stairwell, visitors can explore the history of various cultures and sexual and gender identities. Silhouettes on the wall symbolize historic figures such as Frida Kahlo, Harvey Milk and Sylvia Rivera. It also includes more ambiguous figures that showcase the diversity of gender expression, including some with scars on their chests representative of gender-affirming surgery.

The breadth of the history and cultures included was intentional, according to Robeson Center Director Evan Williams.

"With both of our centers, we are talking about diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. We are talking about being intentional about things that are intersectional," Williams said. "You wouldn't often walk through a hallway and see two men kissing. This art is a need, and it speaks volumes to where Penn State started and where we are now, to be able to install a mural full of these figures."

The color palette of the mural changes as it progresses through the staircase. It moves from greens and blues to pink and orange, and each wall includes a focal point beneath a light fixture. It's designed to pull visitors through the space, which previously was a blank white stairwell.

Also repeated throughout the art piece are geometric representations of eyes. This, according to artists J Manuel Carmona and Simon Malvaez, was to highlight the importance of visibility and representation.

"Every character has no eyes. All the eyes are somewhere else," Carmona said. "This is the concept of being seen. When we went to college, we didn't have a cultural or diversity center, and now these things are more visible."

The mural includes every color of the rainbow as a symbol of the LGBTQ+ community. It also includes a phrase that the two artists often use in their work: "Con Mucho Amor."

The Spanish phrase translates to "With Lots of Love" in English.

"Making these murals is kind of like a spell. You are tracing out these patterns," Malvaez said. "This is our own sort of spell. It shows we put a lot of love in it."

Already, Carmona said, students are taking advantage of the space in new ways. Some visitors to the Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity stopped by this week to use the art as a backdrop for a video on social media, although the space isn't yet officially open to the public.

The art piece is meant to invite that kind of engagement and enthusiasm from students, according to HUB coordinators. The piece is meant to provide representation, but it's also transforming what was previously an underutilized space within the building.

"This has been in the making for a long time. It's been a dream," said Sarah Kipp, exhibition coordinator at the HUB-Robeson Center. "A broad audience can see yourself in these figures."

"That's what attracted us to this art style the most," said Museum Preparator Robert Jones. "Everyone was represented by it."

The staircase mural will be officially opened and celebrated during the HUB Takeover on Wednesday, April 3, as part of Campus Pride Month at Penn State.