By Will Gilson, Currier Times Staff///

Roughly a dozen professors, family members, and friends gathered in the Program for Advancement of Learning (PAL) building on May 1st to witness the unveiling of a mural that has been in the works from students, and community members. Reverend Wayne Daley, Interfaith Chapel of Spiritual Life at Curry stopped by, and blessed the mural’s completion.

After Revering Wayne’s blessing, the mural’s main contributor, senior Studio Arts major and Art History minor Hannah Zall, pulled down the cloth uncovering the magnificent painting. Professors of the PAL Program, Professor Efram Burke of Art History, and Zall’s family all gasped and clapped as the work featuring flowers and a circle of hands was displayed for all to see.

The mural features grass on the bottom, multiple flowers and stars on the borders, and offers a sense of unity with diverse hands doing different hand gestures, all while featuring a blue and orange background. There is also a plaque next to the painting that has the names of all the students, faculty, and community members who also contributed to the painting.

Zall, initially chosen to be the artist as part of an independent study, has many things she enjoys about the mural. However, her favorite is the hands present.

“Each as themselves has their own little expression, based on the movement they are in,” Zall said. “Full of life.”

Other attendees also have things they like about the painting. Revering Wayne mentions the diversity that it will bring to Curry.

“They’re gonna look at it, and it’s gonna look differently to everybody,” Wayne said. “It’s gonna mean something different to everyone.”

The mural has been in the works since the fall of 2022, with a collaboration of both PAL and Curry’s Visual and Performing Arts Department. After reading a study about how certain colors relax students, and how there are murals in the Kennedy building, Professor of Visual & Performing Arts, Iris Kumar, sent out an email to Provost Robert Shea asking for approval of the project.

Dr. Grace Lincoln, another contributor and Outreach Coordinator of the PAL Program, said the process to begin the mural took a while.

“The Provost had to initially approve the idea and then it had to be presented to the entire Curry Administration as well as the facilities Committee for approval,” Grace said. “Then I had to work closely with Buildings and Grounds to prepare the wall with primer and have them deliver the supplies such as ladders and drop cloths.”

After choosing Zall, a mural draft was chosen with the themes of learning and diversity, and was pitched to the PAL Department and Co-Directors.

“The PAL Department unanimously voted ‘yes’ on the design and location of the mural,” Lincoln said. “The image was transferred onto the wall using an overhead projector and then the painting began.”

The project was created with the help of 25 students, faculty, and staff.

Visitors can see the mural on the ground floor of the PAL building, down the stairs from the receptionist desk.

As for what they hope people take away from the mural, Dr. Lincoln mentions, “coming together, hopefulness, and helping one another” as the theme.