A cross-campus collaboration between Youngstown State University’s Success Over 60 program and the Cliffe College of Creative Arts has produced a new intergenerational mural now on display at the Butler Institute of American Art. Led by professor Dan Van Dussen, Department of Social Work, and professor Dragana Crnjak, Department of Art, the project brought together more than 50 participants from YSU, Ohio Living and the local community.

The mural created throughout the fall semester, centers on intergenerational connection, shared creativity and collective learning. Sixteen students in YSU’s Mural and Site-Specific Painting course worked alongside seniors from Ohio Living, students from the Sokolov Honors College and alumna Lisa Schultz-Medved, who helped recruit the participants from Ohio Living Hospice and Home Care.

“This partnership placed every participant outside their usual routines and created a shared space where unpredictable connections and discoveries could grow,” Crnjak said. “We built not only the work itself, but a profound sense of connection and shared humanity.”

The project began with an empathy-mapping session at McDonough Museum of Art, where participants reflected on memories, actions, emotions and ideas related to intergenerational experiences. A follow-up session at Fellows Riverside Gardens encouraged students and seniors to explore natural systems as visual inspiration, leading to shared photography used in the early design stages. Back on campus, art students developed sketches, refined design concepts, prepared modular panels and created a complex color-by-number system that allowed community members to join painting sessions with ease.

Schultz-Medved, a YSU alumna with a BSAS in Long-Term Care Administration, coordinated seniors throughout Ohio Living’s Senior Center Without Walls program. “Participants shared very positive feedback,” Van Dussen said. “They wanted to engage with our students and share their lived and artistic experiences.”

Van Dussen said the project reflects the purpose of the Success Over 60 Program as well as YSU’s broader Wellness Across the Life Course initiative. “Ideas come from many different perspectives,” he said. “This collaboration was a great way to see things through different disciplinary lenses and lived experiences. I enjoyed working across disciplinary and generational boundaries.”

The mural also strengthened YSU’s connection with the Butler Institute of American Art, which serves as both a painting location and the exhibit site. The Butler’s ongoing engagement with both the Department of Art and Ohio Living made it a natural partner.

Students described the experience as transformative. Senior Delaney Pallo said the collaborative process reshaped her understanding of large-scale artwork. “With 16 ‘cooks in the kitchen,’ it was encouraging to see that we were able to come together with so many minds and each see a part of ourselves in the finished product,” she said. “The journey in learning to collaborate productively was incredibly rewarding.”

More than 50 people – including art students, honors students, seniors, docents, faculty, staff and community members – contributed to the project, which unfolded over several months. “Working together over several months created a richness and depth you can’t get anywhere else,” Van Dussen said.

Crnjak said the experience revealed strong potential for expanding similar projects in the future. “There is tremendous potential in sharing these collaborative strategies across educational settings, conferences and workshops, inspiring new forms of collective learning,” she said.

The mural remains on display at the Butler Institute of American Art. However, in the future, Crnjak said this modular mural will travel to other public spaces to continue to spark community conversations.