New Murals Enhance Spiritual Atmosphere in the Chapel
Reported by Katelyn Lam
Photographed by Allison Martinet
As students and staff walk into the Chapel, they can see the high ceilings with chandeliers hanging down, tall windows on the sides, and in the front to let in natural light. The construction of the Chapel was completed this year and opened to the public. In addition, there are two painted murals located at the back of the Chapel.
“I love the murals,” freshman Abigail Easterling said. “I think they give an inspiring connection with God. The presence when you walk in the Chapel reminds me of past students who also wanted to connect with God in a deeper way.”
The idea of the murals was first brought up by President Robin Baker after he visited many churches in Europe during the summer of 2022. Professor of Art and Design Tim Timmerman noted that the murals depict themes from the Book of Revelations, including prophetic elements found on the back walls of churches.
“I told Robin that it would be interesting to combine our Quaker heritage with the idea of the scripture of the Peaceful Kingdom in Isaiah, along with the concept of the kingdom come in the Book of Revelation,” Timmerman said.
When Timmerman’s initial sketch was approved, he invited senior studio arts major Alissa Hrushka to assist him.
“I was really excited and very honored,” Hrushka said.
Timmerman and Hrushka worked over the summer to create these murals.
“I would paint 35 hours a week for seven weeks straight to get them done,” Timmerman said. “Alissa worked about 20 to 25 hours a week with me.”
The murals were inspired by Edward Hicks’ Peaceable Kingdom paintings.
“He [Hicks] wanted his community to work together to be this peaceable kingdom,” Timmerman said.
Looking at the murals, viewers can see numerous details and symbols pointing toward the Bible. What stands out the most are the people depicted in the murals.
“My favorite scripture in the Book of Revelation is, ‘You know every tear from their eye will be wiped away,’ so there’s a version of an angel coming down that was modeled after Javier Garcia, our Honors professor who died in a freak surf accident,” Timmerman said. “Coming down, he has a box of tissues because it was important for me.”
The two murals measure 5 feet by 17 feet. Being such a large project, there were challenges along the way.
“It was the initial smaller paintings and figuring out what on earth it’s going to look like,” Timmerman said. “I was like a puzzle, putting together figures. The initial draft painting for the first mural took about 60 hours.”
The murals beautifully represent biblical themes and showcase the creativity of Timmerman and Hrushka.
“I hope they love it,” Hrushka said. “I hope they’re really excited, and I think it’s such a happy image or happy art piece. I think that’s in Tim’s personality; he’s a very joyful person, so I hope that they look at it and feel joy.”