RISD Students Create Colorful Murals for RI Philharmonic Music School

Illustrations and splashes of color newly adorn four walls at the Rhode Island Philharmonic Music School, where RISD students are putting the finishing touches on a series of murals they created in a Wintersession course called Craft of Making Murals. “Murals can turn an overlooked wall into a unique piece of art that speaks for the establishment for which it was created,” says faculty member Eron Hare 14 IL, who is teaching the class. 

Hare is showing students how to find clients looking for mural submissions, create proposals and set up and justify budgets. He is also working on the RI Philharmonic murals along with the class, making suggestions about color choices, deviating from the plans when necessary and staying on schedule.

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Hare says his intention for the class is to give students opportunities to experience hands-on public art making. “They’re learning how to use ladders, lifts and scaffolding safely outside of the classroom,” he says, “skills that will serve them well after they graduate.”

Hare collaborated with Su D’Ambrosio and Tony Petrucci at RI Philharmonic to come up with the ideas for the imagery. The image that greets visitors in the building’s main entryway focuses on the school’s relationship with community organizations like the Providence Performing Arts Center (PPAC), the Veterans Memorial Auditorium (the VETS) and the Temple to Music. They also created three other murals, one for the section of the building in which stringed instruments are taught and two more for the early education department. Students proposed multiple options, and the client selected the four winning designs.

While sketching an illustration of a young girl playing the piano on stage at the VETS  for one of the murals in the education department, Amelia Politi 26 IL reflected on the role that art played in her own childhood. When she was 13, she painted a mural at another school in her home state of New Jersey. She says having the chance to make the same kind of impact with her classmates has been incredibly rewarding. 

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“It means a lot to make something that children can look at and appreciate,” she says. “It’s already beautiful in here, but I think the existence of murals brings a whole new energy.” She and her classmates used black, white and green paint to show the silhouette of an audience watching a child playing the piano, though her feet don’t quite reach the pedals. 

Amelia Cumming BRDD 25 IL designed the entryway mural, featuring local landmarks including PPAC, the VETS and the Temple to Music painted below a depiction of a bustling orchestra scene. She says that engaging with the community is exciting. “I hope the project brings brightness and fun,” she says. “Music has so much personality. I think having a space that embraces that personality is important.” 

The mural in the stringed instrument section of the building features a collage of orchestra members playing cellos and violins in blue, purple and pink paint. Carrying that same color scheme through, a second wall in the early childhood department displays an illustration of a young girl peeking around a corner to watch a performer playing violin on stage. 

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Earlier in the term, students were tasked with a broader assignment that challenged them to think beyond the mural project at the Philharmonic. Each student identified a cafe or restaurant in Providence with a blank wall and designed a mural concept for it. Later, they were asked to proactively send their designs to the respective businesses. 

“Although we already have a real-world project in the works, I’m hoping to encourage them to put themselves out there and look for future opportunities,” Hare explains.

“Working with the talented students of RISD has been a wonderful experience,” says Assistant Director of Education Petrucci. “It’s inspiring to see how their work will breathe new life into our space, making it not just a place for music, but a place where creativity thrives. We hope the murals will be a source of inspiration and pride for students, families and visitors alike, serving as a reminder of art’s power to unite and connect us all.”

Kaylee Pugliese
February 6, 2025