New mural coming to Hillman Library

Since its opening in 1968, Hillman Library has always featured public art, but the incoming library art project is different from any of its previously displayed works. To commemorate the upcoming completion of the library’s renovation, students are working with a community artist on an 8-by-32 foot mural that will be displayed on the first floor of the library. The mural is a collaboration between Pittsburgh artist Alison Zapata and eight Pitt students.

According to Kornelia Tancheva, Hillman university librarian and director of the University Library System, the ULS initially considered different ideas to commemorate the completion of the library renovation, including signing construction beams, until landing on a participatory art project.

“We wanted to commemorate the completion of the seven-year-long construction project with something fun and memorable,” Tancheva said. “It was only in the last year or so that we truly began thinking about a community celebration once the project was complete.”

Tancheva said a collaborative art project falls in line with the priorities of the University Library System, such as “learning through doing” and creativity as a whole. Focusing on how people have exchanged information across time ultimately became the medium to portray these goals.

 “We wanted the mural to be about communication through the ages to capture what libraries are about — preserving, providing access to and celebrating our cultural heritage no matter what format it takes, so that it can inspire new knowledge,” Tancheva said.

Zapata said painting for the mural began on March 11 for the eight panels that will combine to form the mural. As an Artist in Residence at the Pittsburgh Center for Arts and Media, Zapata has completed other collaborative mural projects, including one with Pitt’s Special Needs Assistance Program for Social Engagement, which currently hangs on the fourth floor of Hillman Library.

“I was chosen for the project based on my experience creating community murals,” Zapata said. “It is always a great experience to directly work with others and allow their ideas to drive the mural’s creative process.”

After deciding on a basic theme of the history of communication, Zapata said she worked with students to choose items featured in the mural, including cave paintings of Lascaux, the Rosetta Stone, human connection and even emojis.

“The students began in a design workshop by choosing icons of communication that were important to them, which we then put into an image bank,” Zapata said. “From there, we selected the subjects for the mural to tell the story.”

Tancheva said the new work will contribute to the overall goal of promoting student art at Hillman Library, which has been in practice since 2020, when the first phase of library renovations was completed. 

The opportunity to work on the mural attracted 107 applications submitted for only eight spots. With a small group of students closely working together, Zapata stressed the importance of community in creating the mural.

“It brings people that might not have known each other together to create something that has a lasting impact,” Zapata said. “We’re fortunate a project like this creates a small community for a moment of time.”

Kylie Wilson is one of the students working on the mural project. A senior history and theater arts major, she initially heard of the project from a professor who thought it would be “right up her alley.”

“I’ve been focusing on being a scenic charge artist since I was a freshman, so the painting aspect was immediately appealing,” Wilson said. “I also utilize the library and its resources so often to find sources for papers I’ve written in numerous history classes. All of that made this project super exciting to me.”

For Wilson, the project is also a way for her to leave a legacy at Pitt.

“It’s not just about painting and research being a passion. For me, it’s also about leaving my mark at Pitt before I graduate,” Wilson said. “The fact that something I helped create will stay longer than my time here is one of the main reasons I decided to apply.”

Kelly Hung, a graduate student in the master of data science program, said she’s always had an interest in art and was excited about the mural’s theme of the evolution of communication.

“What really excites me about this project is the opportunity to work with an artist, see the behind-the-scenes process and contribute to the design,” Hung said. “I want to leave behind something meaningful for other students, especially since communication has always been essential to knowledge-sharing.”

Hung sees the mural as “a way of contributing to [the library’s] collection,” and Tancheva takes a similar view on the importance of art in public spaces such as Hillman Library.

“I have a very strong belief that art impacts people and spaces very positively — it makes us think, feel, be human,” Tancheva said. “I guess, if I had to use one phrase, I would say, ‘art humanizes space.’”

Zapata said the painting of the mural is expected to be finished this April, with installation to take 

place over the following months.

“The plan is that at some point in the fall semester, we will have an open house for the whole Pitt community, and we will reveal the mural, along with other celebratory activities,” Tancheva said.