At Roanoke College, we like to say that when you learn amid mountains, you know how to move them.
So why not move them right to the heart of downtown Salem?
Over the summer, local artist Nicole Gray brought our beautiful, azure-layered mountains to life in a 60-foot mural that stretches across the north side of Ayres Hall on the Roanoke College campus. The mural, which is located at the corner of College Avenue and Clay Street, extends from ground level to the top of the building’s second story.
The Blue Ridge Mountains mural is the second large-scale work of art to be created on Roanoke’s campus recently. In 2025, Roanoke muralist Jon Murrill ’09 painted a red-tailed hawk mural on all four sides of the community structure at Maroon Village, a student housing neighborhood off Hawthorn Road on the north end of campus.
The newest mural was inspired by the first imperative in the college’s strategic plan, “Imagine Roanoke,” which calls for re-envisioning the campus Main Street corridor as a life/learn/work/play hub that integrates the college with the City of Salem. Commissioning a mural allowed the college to extend its visible footprint into the city while also creating a beautiful visual that anyone in Salem can appreciate. The college also recently added window graphics to the Bank Building at Main Street and College Avenue to further brand the corridor.
"I hope it is enjoyed by the college and the city alike, and that it makes people smile for years to come.”
Nicole Gray, local artist
Gray, a Roanoke County native, is a professional massage therapist at Stella Maris Spa & Boutique in Roanoke. She holds a degree in visual design from Virginia Western Community College, where her drawing instructor was Murrill. He encouraged her to pursue an interest in murals, enlisting her as a volunteer on his 9th Street and 13th Street murals in Roanoke, and as his assistant on the Dixie Products mural on Melrose Avenue in Roanoke. Gray was also a main collaborator on the ROA Southeast mural, which is located on the LAB Sports Performance building in Southeast Roanoke.
The Blue Ridge Mountains mural is Gray’s first solo project. It is based on a concept by Roanoke College Graphic Designer James France that was enhanced by Gray through her painting process. It was completed on Aug. 17, just in time to welcome students back to school for the fall semester.
“I had so much fun with this project,” Gray said. “I love the colors and how it beautifies that area of campus. I hope it is enjoyed by the college and the city alike, and that it makes people smile for years to come.”