Muralist invites students to help create large-scale artwork on campus

Jon Murrill’s colorful murals have been stopping people in their tracks all over the Roanoke Valley in recent years, whether they’re running on the Roanoke River Greenway or strolling down Salem’s Main Street. 

Now, Murrill, a graduate of the Roanoke College Class of 2009, is returning to his alma mater to create awe-inspiring art on all four sides of the structure that serves as the Maroon Village lounge—and students will get a chance to help the mural take shape alongside him. 

The project will begin Monday, Sept. 29, and last for about three weeks. Murrill has set up six student sessions at the mural site, and students are invited to sign up on a first-come, first-served basis at this link. To ensure that as many students as possible have an opportunity to participate, Murrill asks that each person sign up for only one session. Each session will accommodate 10 students.  

Murrill also will deliver a lecture about public art in Olin Recital Hall at 5 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 24, which will be open to the campus community and general public. 

"We are thrilled to welcome Jon back to campus for this incredible project, which will create an inspiring landmark at the heart of our new housing community,” said Jay Ellison, vice president for student success and the Roanoke experience. “It is fitting that an alumnus as talented as Jon will create a lasting visual impact on our campus.” 

Murrill, a native of Vinton, Virginia, earned a degree in studio art at Roanoke, where he was a student worker in the Olin Gallery. He went on to earn an MFA from Radford University with a concentration in painting and drawing, and he began his career as an art teacher with Craig County Public Schools. He has also been an adjunct professor at Virginia Western Community College and a visual arts teacher at Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke. Murrill’s mother happens to be Roanoke College Education Professor Leslie Murrill. 

Murrill built his mural-painting business alongside his teaching career, producing unique public art inside establishments like Sidecar restaurant and Twisted Track Brewery in Roanoke. He has also splashed beauty across otherwise staid locations, such as under the 9th Street bridge along the Roanoke River Greenway. 

Now a full-time muralist, Murrill’s murals can also be found on the exteriors of buildings in Roanoke, Salem, Vinton, Blacksburg and beyond. Three of his works can be admired in Salem at Blue Eagle Credit Union, Allsports Cafe and Cherry Alley of Main Street. In the latter mural, a girl soaring through the air on a swing even has a Roanoke College patch on her backpack.  

When the Roanoke College Marketing and Communications Office profiled Murrill in 2022, he said he would love to someday paint a mural on campus. We are as excited as Murrill is that the day has finally come. The artist has requested that the college keep the mural subject a secret so the community can watch it take shape and reveal itself over the course of the project. 

Students of any artistic skill level are invited to sign up for the educational sessions. All materials will be provided.

Jon Murrill's work can be seen in downtown Salem at the Allsports Cafe building (above) and at the Cherry Alley building (below).   

 
Below, Jon Murrill '09 works on a mural at Blue Eagle Credit Union in Salem in 2022.