MSU has several artist-in-residence programs in which the selected artists work as teachers or mentors, actively engaged with student participants, including lectures, public performances and art production. For the Olin mural project, a new artist in residence was selected to guide the project.

Assistant Vice President/Assistant Provost for University Health and Wellness Dr. Alexis Travis and Vice Provost for University Arts and Collections Dr. Judith Stoddart, were involved in the installation of the mural and oversaw the operations and selection.

“We found that this type of collaboration could be really instrumental in reducing stress, reducing anxiety, giving people a creative outlet, being able to enhance the environment in which people receive their care and be able to form connection,” Travis said. “This was something I was really interested in. And so we wanted a piece of art to really brighten up the space to make it an environment that people felt safe and comfortable entering into.”

The call for artists was put out in the summer of 2024, the selection team was looking specifically for someone who had community-engaged mural experience and background. The selection team included a large group including those who work everyday in Olin, accounting for all levels of the "care experience." The artist selected was Detroit-based artist India Solomon. It was agreed that Solomon’s application "really stood out," largely due to her unique qualifications and educational journey. 

“She has a background in Urban Planning, and to that sense of understanding how environments can impact communities, and how communities can gain agency in impacting their environments was really at the core of this, in understanding what this project was about,” Stoddart said. “She did a great job of outlining the process that would engage the students in meaningful ways."

Along with her background in urban planning, Solomon also taught five UHW counseling groups at MSU, giving her relationships with those who would be seeing the mural often. Solomon was looking forward to the mural project for numerous reasons, but one specificity in her mind was to spend more time on the lead-up to the final mural project than the project itself. Solomon worked with students in therapy groups, many who had no prior experience in art.

“I think it was really important to create a space where people who did not see themselves as artists, or maybe hadn’t picked up a paintbrush in years – we all have a moment, right, where we created something – or there was a time when we always had art class, and we were always able to play with Play-Doh and do fun things," Solomon said. "But, I think that that disappears as we get more serious and as we do this thing called life. But it doesn’t mean that it’s less important than what we started to dedicate our time to."

For the participants in the therapeutic groups at University Health and Wellness, Solomon tried to make the new artists feel at ease in their methodology and introduction to the world of expressing feelings and having an outlet through art.

“My approach to the workshops was very much, like, ‘don’t worry about a specific outcome, don’t worry about making it look pretty, or–you know, don’t even think about the fact that you don’t feel like you’re an artist – you have things to create, right? And you have a visual connection to the world around you, so let’s just work together to create something really beautiful and something that feels good,’ so each student created their own individual piece," Solomon said.

The words embedded in the mural, one of which says “Kinder” emphasizes Solomon’s vision of adding affirmations to the multi-artist art piece.

“One of the most powerful things we did at the end of each session was, we painted, gave ourselves time, quiet time, to just really get into the work, and then we ended with stating affirmations. So each person shared an affirmation that they wanted to take into the world and that they wanted to share with the group, and if you look closely at the mural project, those affirmations are kind of what’s embedded in the background,” Solomon said. 

Solomon, though being Detroit-based, drove to MSU for the purpose of guiding the therapy group sessions. The commute was an integral part of the project; furthermore, her studio was back in her home base, which then solidified this project's far-reach outside just the university. Additionally, Solomon is passionate about mental health and the importance for wellbeing in one's life, the artwork she creates on her own time, and in her home artist’s studio, reflects that. 

“I think my entire practice is embedded in my own process of getting to a better space of mental health – we’ve mentioned that my background is in Urban Planning, and before that, I did a Bachelor’s in Public Policy – a Master’s in Urban Planning and Development, all back to back. I was focused on real-estate finance – I was going to go and be the big ol’ private developer lady. And I had checked off a lot of boxes and goals that I thought that I had, but the one big piece that was missing was my own happiness and my own mental stability," Solomon said. 

This won't be the last mural that Solomon works on, Travis hopes to continue moving forward with creation of future art pieces throughout campus. Other student groups will be given the opportunity to work on art projects in various buildings in collaboration with Solomon.  

"If we carry on, we’ll have pieces in all areas in our buildings, and that will be a wonderful thing and hopefully bring people a lot of joy,” Travis said.

The collaborative mural project between artist India Solomon and student participants in the UHW counseling groups at Olin Health Center can be visited in the lobby, anytime during visiting hours, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.