Recently, the College of Arts commissioned Avery Riley-McKay to create a mural to represent all the wonderful programs offered by the college. She created program stickers in the summer of 2025, which she then turned into posters for a mural in the COA corridor this past summer. The mural can be seen outside the dean's office suite on the first floor of the MacKinnon Building Extension. Riley-McKay is a recent alum of the COA's Studio Art Program, so she had unique insight into the life of an arts' student at the University of Guelph. This personal touch allowed her to create special designs for each program, which fully encapsulate the essence of studying in the field of Creative Arts and Humanities. Riley-McKay explained how the differing programs informed her creative process:
"There are so many programs housed within the umbrella of "arts," especially at Guelph, and this only adds to the complications of classifying and running these programs within the university. I was excited to be able to make this collection of images to show how each of these programs are independent, but also where they overlap and how they consider each other. At the back of my mind with every program, I tried to challenge the generic understanding of these subjects."
Updating this space for the College of Arts allows us to showcase the talent of an alum while creating an atmosphere that aligns with our studies and culture. Riley-McKay's eye-catching art reflects the spirit of our programs while giving our educational space a colourful new look. The knowledge and skills she gained through her time as a student directly aided her process in the completion of this project.
"Originally when I started making these stickers I made them on a computer touch pad. This forced me to simplify the images in a way that "classic" painting taught me. Sticking with the original mark, colours, and gesture, in a way digital mediums aren't necessarily forced to do. For example, I was not zooming or blending, I was approaching the image as if it were a painting. This produced a collection of digital drawings that closely resemble the techniques I learned in the Studio Art program and painting classes."
Riley-McKay's passion for the arts in education drove her to take on this job. Her own experiences as a student helped her find inspiration for how this creative endeavour can perfectly represent the COA. "I have always believed in the importance of arts education and throughout my life, and university career I have continued to come up against pessimism towards artistic thinking and learning. It was important that I did this project for the COA because it was an opportunity for me to celebrate learning that I would argue has been notoriously undervalued, unconsidered, underfinanced in academic institutions," shared Riley-McKay.
The designs can be seen as framed posters in the MacKinnon Building, but they have also been made available as stickers to be given to current and prospective students in all the COA programs. This meant Riley-McKay was intentional about considering what students would gravitate toward, and what they would want to see as representing their chosen field of study.
"It was maybe most important that these stickers reflected the students' interest, aesthetics and interactions they have within their section of the arts umbrella. I wanted these to be for the students and reflect what they wanted to see and stick on their laptops, because they also believe in the importance of their program."
Thank you to Avery Riley-McKay for such wonderful art that will uplift the COA's message on campus!