KU student-designed mural reflects community, belonging in Watson Library

LAWRENCE — When the University of Kansas Libraries set out to create The Kettle, a student-centered gathering space in Watson Library, it was envisioned as a place where students could build community, find inspiration and see themselves reflected in that space. That vision now stretches across the walls of The Kettle itself in a new mural created in collaboration with students in KU’s Department of Design.  

The project partners will celebrate the new artwork and the process of collectively constructing it at a public reception from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Sept. 24 in The Kettle, 325 Watson Library. Remarks begin at 4:30 p.m. 

In nature, a kettle is a group of hawks soaring on thermal air currents, and The Kettle was designed in that spirit as a place where Jayhawks can gather, connect and rise together. The mural project aimed to extend that vision by inviting students to contribute ideas through hands-on learning in Jeremy Shellhorn’s spring 2026 junior design studio.   

“Creating opportunities for students to learn by doing is how we teach design at KU,” said Shellhorn, professor of visual communications design. “Collabs like this allow students to work with real people, real spaces and real constraints while seeing firsthand the impact their work can have. Our students and faculty are engaged in exploring how visual communication design can transform shared spaces, making them more inclusive, engaging and reflective of the communities that use them.”

Each student in the class created an original design concept capturing the identity and purpose of the space, amounting to 20 distinct mural concepts that were presented to a libraries mural committee in early February. The committee, which included members of the libraries’ strategic engagement team and librarians who lead programming in The Kettle, gave written and verbal feedback to the students. Each student revised their concept and presented a finalized design to a wider group of libraries faculty and staff in a gallery-style showcase in late February.  

Design students experienced a unique opportunity to pitch, explain and make the case for their work, part of a multilayered learning process that presented unique challenges to the student designers.  

“I thought it was really fun working with an actual client, to have that experience, not designing for designers who know exactly what they want but getting to work with clients that have an idea but kind of want us to work through it with them,” said Cooper Bullock, a junior from Lawrence. “That was definitely a new experience that was very rewarding.” 

“It was definitely challenging to make something for somebody else and then receive feedback and actually have to make changes,” said Lily Jackson, a junior from Broomfield, Colorado. “But it was a really good experience because I feel like it's really setting us up for how things are going to be outside of school.”  

Jolie Kerwin, a junior from Overland Park, said she was struck by the libraries’ openness to having students contribute to the room so visually and impactfully. 

“Designing for an actual space, the possibility of it actually being executed, it was... really exciting, but it was also kind of overwhelming,” Kerwin said. “That’s a pretty big room, you know? It was like, what room would I want to study in? This could be a thing. It's a really fun way to interact with the community and also the university.” 

Two selected student finalists met with representatives from the libraries committee in March and made final adjustments before the final design, created by Danny Duong, a junior in visual communications from Winfield, was chosen.   

The design features nature-inspired imagery including hawks, clouds and native plants combined to create both an uplifting and serene environment.  

Duong, who coincidentally works as a student assistant in the libraries’ digitization lab, said implementing the project broadened his experience and challenged him in new ways. 

“At first the project felt a little intimidating as I had never worked on something like this before and knew very little about the process,” Duong said. “However, the library team was always very supportive throughout the whole experience, whether it was helping me select the right equipment, bringing in mutual additional people to assist with the work and simply being an encouraging presence as I was learning along the way.” 

Duong worked on the installation of the mural a few hours a week from late March through June with support from Shellhorn and a collaborative group of libraries participants. Duong said the scale and complexity of the project stretched his skills as he translated a digital design into a large-scale physical installation for the first time. The process also impressed on him the collaborative nature and benefits of bringing a public artwork to life.  

“The mural definitely could not have happened without the help I received from everyone in the library, and it was awesome to see how enthusiastic everyone was to make the mural happen,” Duong said. 

Eighteen members of the libraries’ community took part in the effort, from serving on a selection committee that worked closely with the design class to employees who dropped in to paint a few clouds while taking a break from regular tasks.  

“I loved empowering the student artist and being a part of seeing Danny’s vision come to life,” said Amber Ovsak, an undergraduate engagement librarian who helps lead programming efforts in The Kettle. “It was fun coming in and working with libraries’ folks I don’t normally have a chance to connect with. It really felt like a community effort.” 

“The ability to contribute to a young artist building their portfolio spoke to me,” said Brooke Harris, executive associate to the dean of libraries. “Coupled with making a positive impact on the space of the library for students, it ignited a spark that got me incredibly excited for the project.” 

Duong said the experience has made him feel more connected not just to the libraries but to the university community overall.  

“Outside of some activities within my department, I have never been involved much with KU as a whole before. Working on this project helped me feel much more connected to both the KU community and the campus itself, especially knowing that this design will be seen by so many people,” Duong said.  

As classes began in August, Ovsak said she had already noticed the effects of the mural.  

“I was able to spend time with students in The Kettle, and it struck me how differently students respond to the space now that the mural is up,” she said. “And being able to share the origin story of the mural is almost as great as the mural itself.” 

Watson Library is the 102-year-old flagship library of KU Libraries, the largest library system in the state of Kansas. KU Libraries house 5.8 million items in six Lawrence campus locations and host 1.2 million visits per year.