Rose State College art student Zane Silsby participated in the Mural Class taught by Professor Suzanne Thomas in the Spring 2026 semester. As the class’s only student, he completed the mural himself.
“The class has prepared me for large-scale projects, something I have not done before,” Zane said. “It has also given me the chance to experience working with people to create a design that I might not have created on my own. Having experiences like this, where I can ask for help from professors when needed and not be overwhelmed on my own, is helpful to me.”
“All the murals in the Humanities Building and Performing Arts Center are designed by the students in the mural class,” said Art Professor Suzanne Thomas. “I make suggestions, but the final concept is from the students. For the newest mural, I had Zane look at some bright, almost psychedelic artwork as inspiration.”
The mural is located in front of the choir room in the RSC Performing Arts Center, so Silsby incorporated musical elements into the piece. He painted the seven-foot-tall, five-foot-wide mural with acrylic paint.
Silsby titled the mural, “The Sun Dancers.” The art student drew inspiration from 1960s psychedelic art filled with vibrant colors and abstract concepts, and created several sketches and iterations before finalizing the mural. Silsby took pieces from the many sketches and included dancers, butterflies, hills, and a rainbow in the final design. The final mural concept depicted ‘a guy in the sun looking at the dancers surrounded by butterflies.’ His ultimate goal was to make the piece look “dream-like.”
Visitors can view the mural in the Rose State College Performing Arts Center during normal operating hours.
To learn more about the mural class and other Art courses available at Rose State, visit Liberal Arts & Sciences.