By Cynthia Hubert

September 18, 2025

Sacramento State celebrated its commitment to diversity and belonging on Wednesday with the unveiling of newly painted murals along the southern walls of the Tschannen Engineering Teaching and Research Building.

The murals represent the third phase of the University’s “Place of Belonging” project, which invited chosen artists, all of whom are connected to Sac State as either students, faculty or staff, to create colorful representations of Sac State’s efforts to support diverse voices and experiences.

Sac State teamed with Roseville-based nonprofit art education center and gallery Blue Line Arts on this year’s project. Student artists and others chosen by project organizers created seven murals on wall panels outside the engineering building.

Organizers named the walkway between the building and the Student Union “Belonging Boulevard.”

“Each brushstroke represents a voice that matters,” said Michael V. Nguyen, the University’s vice president of Inclusive Excellence, during a brief ceremony on Wednesday. “Each color choice reflects a perspective that enriches us.

“These are not decorations. They are declarations that inclusive excellence isn’t something we do. It’s who we are becoming together.”

In one of the murals, artist Sarah Guadagnolo, a Sac State student, painted silhouetted figures that reflect people who are advocating for others, guided by the light of the University’s familiar flame logo.

Another mural, by student Adia Williams, highlights Sac State’s rich diversity by incorporating elements of various colleges and programs, including the Black Honors College and the Native American Studies program.

Collectively, the murals represent “the stories, the struggles, and the hopes” of the artists and the larger community, said Gladys Francis, dean of the College of Arts and Letters.

They do more than beautify the campus, Francis said.

“They represent who we are, what we value, and what we are willing to question,” she said.

Following Wednesday’s celebration in the Library Quad, Jennifer Wagelie, director of cultural development in the Division of Inclusive Excellence, invited visitors to view the artwork and talk to the artists who created them.

“The murals on Belonging Boulevard are officially open!” she said.