PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — Birds fly, snowflakes fall, leaves blow, flowers flutter and trees reach outward and upward — all anchored by the sun, emanating its rays in a warm embrace.
These elements comprise a temporary mural created by members of the Brown University community in the Barus and Holley building on campus, where a tragic shooting took place on Dec. 13, 2025.
Through a student-led effort underpinned by both grief and catharsis, the temporary mural — made with blue, green, yellow and orange artists tape — offers a space for healing, reflection and recovery for those who work, study, research, teach and move through the building.
Conceived of by a group of student ambassadors in Brown’s School of Engineering, including senior Emilia Pantigoso and sophomore Yeidy Salmeron, the mural materialized in mid-spring on temporary walls that were constructed around the location where the shooting occurred.
“We all deeply care about this building and everyone here, and it is not cliché when I say it is like our home,” said Pantigoso, who will earn her bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering and a certificate in entrepreneurship with the Class of 2026 in May. “I just felt grateful to have the opportunity to be able to do something to bring the community together during this time.”
Pantigoso and Salmeron were among dozens of students, faculty and staff who contributed to the intensive, three-day mural installation, which was guided by Providence-based artists Michael Townsend and Leah Smith, leaders of the Tape Art team that helps communities create temporary memorials during times of communal tragedy. In the months leading up to the installation, engineering school leaders and staff members at the Brown Arts Institute helped students crystallize their vision for the project and enabled the mural creation by facilitating the partnership with Tape Art and coordinating permissions and conversations with campus leaders.
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