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A Place of Belonging Murals
In 2021, Sacramento State committed to becoming an antiracist and inclusive campus. Each year since then, our Campus Murals Project has transformed the walls of the Ernest E. Tschannen Engineering Teaching and Research Building into powerful expressions of our community's vision and values. Now, in 2025, we focus on Institutional Servingness – our dedication to creating a campus where every member of our community is empowered to thrive.
These murals are more than art – they are living testimonies of our commitment to building a university that truly serves all. Created through the collaborative creativity of students, staff, faculty, administrators, and alumni each mural adds to an evolving story of how we understand, embrace, and elevate every voice in our Hornet family. Through this artistic journey, we continue to reimagine what inclusive excellence looks like when every person has the support they need to succeed.
2025 Campus Murals Project: Call for Proposals
Sacramento State invites proposals for the next phase of our Campus Murals Project, located on the Ernest E. Tschannen Engineering Teaching and Research Building. This year's murals will explore institutional servingness our commitment to creating a campus that is the best serving institution for all.
Project Scope
- Six murals (7-by-30 foot each)
- Three murals reserved for current Sac State students
- Additional murals open to Sac State faculty, staff, and alumni (including former Sac State faculty and staff)
- One central mural theme wall (7-by-30-foot) will be commissioned separately
Artist Compensation
- $1,200 stipend per selected artist/team ($600 advance, $600 upon completion)
- Selected Artist(s) will be responsible for providing their own paint, brushes and any other installation materials and supplies needed to complete their work.
- Additional materials and supplies such as ladders/step stools and drop cloths will be provided.
Theme Focus
We seek proposals that visualize how Sacramento State can become the best serving institution for all. As a proud Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI), Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution (AANAPISI), and emerging Black-Serving Institution (BSI), as well host to the new Native American College and the country’s first Black Honors College, we celebrate our commitment to serving diverse communities. Our campus is further enriched by programs and centers that make our university stronger, including our cultural academic centers, employee resource groups, student organizations, and support centers and programs, as well as our academic departments and programs dedicated to studying diverse histories, cultures, and experiences
We especially welcome visual narratives that explore:
- What does it look like when every member of our campus community feels truly supported?
- How do different cultures, traditions, identities, and experiences make our university stronger?
- Where do you see moments of care and compassion transforming our campus?
- What symbols or scenes represent the journey from individual support to collective success?
- How would you visualize a space where everyone has what they need to thrive?
The selection committee encourages you to draw from your personal experiences, observations, and connections to any of our campus communities in envisioning what makes Sacramento State's approach to service unique. Your mural proposal may resonate with any aspect of our diverse campus community - whether it's our institutional serving designations, specific programs, identity groups, cultural traditions, or shared experiences that contribute to our mission of institutional servingness.
Submission Requirements
- Detailed sketch/rendering/digital concept of proposed mural design
- Artist statement (500 words max) explaining:
- How your design connects to institutional servingness and the campus community
- How your personal background and experiences inform your understanding of servingness
- How your vision contributes to making Sac State a more welcoming and supportive space for all
- Your connection to Sac State
- Artist portfolio/Examples of previous work
- Artist category (student, faculty, staff, or alumni)
Important Dates:
- Submission Deadline: April 18, 2025
- Artist Notification: May 12, 2025
- Public Announcement: TBD
- Project Duration: September 1-15, 2025
Selection Process: Proposals will be reviewed by a diverse committee of campus representatives and community partners.
Selection Criteria
- Artistic merit and technical feasibility
- Understanding and interpretation of servingness theme
- Contribution to diverse representation and perspectives
- Connection to Sacramento State's mission and values
- Ability to complete project within timeline
Environmental Requirements: Selected artists must comply with all university environmental and safety protocols during installation. Detailed requirements will be provided during artist orientation.
Submit Your Proposal
Submit Proposal for the 2025 Mural Project
Questions
Contact:
MaryTess Mayall at Blue Line Arts
Jennifer Wagelie, Inclusive Excellence
Spring 2024 BECOMING Murals
Seven artists spent two weeks painting a 7-by-30-foot section of the wall on the side of the Ernest E. Tschannen Engineering Teaching and Research Building. The "Becoming" mural was revealed during an April 10 event on campus.
View video of artists working on and talking about their murals
View photos from the BECOMING murals reveal event
Phillip Altstatt (Alumni and Staff)
BECOMING Statement
There has been a lot of discussion around equity, diversity and inclusion, both on campus and in the region. Becoming, to me, is about acting on those discussions; but, it’s also much more than that. In order to become the thing that we are talking about - to become a place of equity, where all people are valued - we must celebrate one another the way we would celebrate ourselves, or our loved ones. A transformation must take place in our hearts, so that change can take place in our policies. I do believe in this transformation, and it’s time to become that change.
Julie Crumb (Student)
BECOMING Statement
This mural serves as a vibrant testament to the transformative power of Assembly Bill 1460, a pivotal milestone in California's educational landscape. Enacted on August 16, 2020, by Governor Gavin Newsom, AB1460 mandates the inclusion of a qualifying three-unit ethnic studies course as a graduation requirement for all California State Universities. The roots of ethnic studies in higher education reach back to 1968 when a coalition of visionary activists—Black student union organizers, Latinx students, and Asian American students—joined forces as the Third World Liberation Front (TWLF). United in their quest for a more diverse and inclusive San Francisco State University, they spearheaded a 5-month strike, demanding increased admission of students of color and the establishment of a College of Ethnic Studies. Fast forward 52 years and AB 1460 propels California into unprecedented territory, making it the first state in the nation to mandate the completion of an ethnic studies course for graduation. This legislative landmark represents a monumental step toward fostering a more inclusive, anti-racist educational environment for all California State College students. Drawing inspiration from Jose Rizal's timeless wisdom, "No History No Self, Know History Know Self," the mural concisely underscores the profound connection between history, personal identity, and empowerment. I aim to encapsulate the importance of AB 1460, while paying homage to the legacy of The Third World Liberation Front, and fostering an ongoing dialogue about a future where educational institutions are a beacon of inclusivity.
Heather Hogan (Staff)
View artwork on Tenacious Goods
BECOMING Statement
This mural is a collaboration with students in the McClatchy High School Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA) program who are becoming adults and creatives. Select student artwork, inspired by the Becoming prompt, is digitized and simplified to form the word “BECOMING”. Working together on a college campus, led by a working artist, helps them to become the next iteration of themselves, whether that's a professional artist or a Sacramento State student.
Giselle Lacap (Student)
View artwork in Giselle's portfolio
BECOMING Statement
As a queer Filipino-American student majoring in Psychology and minoring in Women and Gender Studies, I’ve developed a thorough understanding that has developed into an adoration for intersectionality; the concept of the importance of recognizing the compounding identities of individuals that result in differing life experiences. Through my four years attending Sacramento State in both virtual spaces and physical, one commonality I have always shared with my peers is our ultimate goal of graduation. This is reflected in my interpretation of the theme of BECOMING - while nobody has had the exact same experiences, we all share a dream of this milestone. The graduates in my proposal are with their younger selves, who are interacting amiably with who they are in the process of developing into. I wanted to emphasize our pride as Hornets through the portrayal of these students as jubilantly celebrating their future selves’ success in their own special ways, while they are all connected through the fact that they have all worked hard to make those futures their realities. This piece also incorporates references to the four seasons, symbolizing the paradoxical cycle of consistent changes that revolves through our unique evolutions. I am in constant awe of how many different identities are not only represented separately on our campus, but are able to coexist and collaborate in a way that gives me deep optimism for the cultivation of an inclusive campus that encourages Hornets to become their best selves together.
Jose Martinez (Alumni)
BECOMING Statement
Becoming to me encompasses change, growth, and a rebirth; realizing your true self. The butterfly shows a huge change in nature, it shows growth and a new found beauty in the world. I love using skeletons to depict a connection to humanity, the ambiguity of a skeleton allows for any person to include themselves into the story, regardless of their age, gender, or race. I use the duality of life and death to show a lifetime. I do this in order to show that a person is able to grow become someone different and hopefully there is more beauty in their life.
Eddie Palacios (Guest Artist)
Alejandra Ruiz (Student)
Nicole Sena (Student)
BECOMING Statement
Not every new student who walks onto this campus comes with the hope of experiencing some sort of life- changing metamorphosis or transformation, but most do. As an inclusive, anti-racist campus, Sacramento State is providing a safe place for students to become the people they are meant to be. Having a space like this, and others like it, has allowed me to transform my life and become the person I am. My mural depicts a phoenix in flight. The phoenix, which undergoes a radical transformation through it’s intense baptism-by-fire, is reborn anew. Afterwards it is free, limitless, and full of potential. My version of this mythical bird is modeled after the Quetzal bird of Central America, where it can sometimes represent freedom. Behind the bird is a bright, radiant, stained-glass sun. This not only represents renewal, but unity. I have combined these symbols because I feel like they embody the idea of “becoming”.
Wood Farguheson "Tsumnu" (Guest Artist)
Jaci Zemenchik (Student)
BECOMING Statement
Becoming is a word that is near and dear to my heart. I never truly felt like I belonged until I joined Sacramento state a year ago, and felt like I finally fit in a place that accepted everyone. And even despite my disability that only allows me to whisper, I have never felt so heard. Woman empowerment in particular is something that I am particularly passionate about. I never felt like I had much of a voice growing up, both because of my disability and because of being a woman in a male-led and male-prioritized organization . It would be my dream to particularly illustrate three powerful and independent women of different races that all are in the midst of transforming and becoming. These women would represent the women of Sacramento State, because we may all be of different backgrounds but each of us are united in our own journey of becoming. The motif of the butterfly, would additionally symbolize transformation. And just how the caterpillar can turn into a butterfly, so can each female student at sacramento state turn into a strong independent woman that embodies tenacity and becoming an inclusive, kind, and powerful woman. I hope more than anything that I am able to paint a mural for this wonderful Hornet Family, and bring an additional beauty to this wonderful campus.
Other Information
Questions
If you have questions, please email communications@csus.edu.
This event is being coordinated by University Communications, the Division of Inclusive Excellence, the College of Arts and Letters, Facilities Management, and other campus stakeholders, in partnershp with Blue Line Arts.
2022 BELIEVING Murals
View artist bios and social media links
Article and Video: Multiyear Wide Open Walls mural project showcases Sac State’s efforts to become an antiracist and inclusive campus
Photo Album
Abc10 News Feature
Phillip Altstatt (alumnus/staff)
Phillip Altstatt's artist statement
Luis Garcia (Faculty) and Fall 22 Art 135 Students
Luis Garcia's artist statement
Emma Montalbano (Student)
Emma Montalbano's artist statement
Erik Oliver (Alumnus)
Erik Oliver's artist statement
Jane Simeon (Student)
Jane Simeon's artist statement
Anastasia Sullivan (Student)
Anastasia Sullivan's artist statement
Wood Farguheson "Tsumnu" (Guest Artist)
Beth Consetta Rubel (WOW Artist)
