It started with dots of color punctuating white spaces defined by winding black lines. Each dot represented the color a corresponding space should be painted. As the spaces filled, pieces of a picture came into view.

People, animals, and surroundings start to take shape. Each piece represents a part of the story of veterinary medicine and its impact on the world—both past and present.

Paintbrushes in hand, dozens of faculty, staff, and students from across the College of Veterinary Medicine came together in early May to paint this picture—a large wall mural designed by artist Tia Richardson. 

The mural depicts scenes across veterinary medicine and science with people, animals, and buildings of the College captured in the design. The mural showcases both the concept of One Health and acknowledges the natural world and indigenous people who called it home before the campus took shape on the land. 

Prior to the painting, Richardson held visioning sessions that invited community members to share ideas and concepts for the mural. Its design debuted during an event on April 29. Over the course of two sessions, community members worked on the mural using a paint-by-numbers approach. 

The mural consists of three panels that will be further refined by Richardson and a team of artists. Once completed, the panels will be combined and hung in the basement of the Veterinary Medical Center in the Transformational Learning Corridor.