A new collaborative mural is bringing colour, creativity and calm to the Dawson College Library, thanks to support from the Dawson College Foundation.

Titled In Bloom, the large-scale artwork is now installed in the 6E wing of the Library, on the wall facing Wood Avenue. Tucked into the last section of shelves on the left side off the corridor, the mural transforms an otherwise quiet study area into a vibrant visual experience.

The project was made possible through SAGE funding from the Foundation and represents a collaboration between the Library and the Visual Arts Department. Second-year Visual Arts students created the mural as part of a course taught by Corri-Lyn Tetz, with guidance and support from faculty members Joe Becker, Kristi Ropeleski and Pohanna Feinberg.

Designed as a mosaic of individual panels, In Bloom brings together dozens of unique student works into one unified composition. While the original proposal envisioned painting on Masonite boards, the final piece was created on canvas, maintaining the project’s collaborative spirit and overall vision.

The mural’s theme draws inspiration from the Dawson Peace Garden, reflecting the College’s commitment to sustainability while offering a visual space for reflection and connection.

The idea for the project emerged following the repainting of the Library in 2023. “When the library’s walls were repainted in 2023, artwork that had been on the walls for decades had to be taken down,” said librarian Claire Elliott. “Rather than rehang these pieces, we invited community members to ‘adopt’ individual works and installed a hanging rail system with the idea of offering the library’s fresh new walls as a dynamic new gallery space.”

“That vision has been slow to take shape, but, with the Foundation’s offer of funding through the SAGE program, the library saw an opportunity to collaborate with Visual Arts… to create something beautiful and more permanent,” she added.

“One of the biggest challenges was keeping the mural cohesive with so many different hands involved,” said Visual Arts teacher Joe Becker. “Getting 48 people on the same page is never easy, but the students did a remarkable job creating something that reads as one unified work.”

“The hope is that the mural brings a sense of reflection to the library environment, something that invites people to pause,” Joe added. “For students, especially those who created it, it’s about visibility – seeing student creativity valued and embedded in the college. It shares something in common with the Dawson Peace Garden – both are spaces meant for reflection, connection, and quiet engagement. Ideally, people will spend time with the mural and feel encouraged by the presence of student art in a shared, everyday space.”

Beyond its visual impact, the mural is intended to enrich the student experience. “This fresh new art installation In Bloom brings unquestionable beauty and new life to an otherwise unremarkable study space,” Claire said. “Our hope is that it will inspire feelings of calm, peace, and renewal, but also a sense of possibility and clear focus.”

A plaque listing all participating student artists and faculty collaborators will be installed near the mural.

Both the Library and the Visual Arts Department see In Bloom as the beginning of future collaborations. Claire said “the Library is very keen to build a more lasting and continuous collaboration… with any program whose students create ingenious and beautiful things that they want the community to see.”