It started with a simple observation: the University of Southern Maine’s campuses could use more color. Vanathi Selvan, a graphic designer on USM’s marketing team, and Marissa Joly, a USM alum, spent about six months of evenings and weekends, stretching into the first chills of winter, turning a wall of Luther Bonney Hall — one that students pass every day — into a vibrant scene of Southern Maine. It’s packed with everything from a lighthouse to a blue lobster to a seagull drinking Moxie. We sat down with them to hear how it came together, and what it means to leave a lasting mark on campus.
Q:
How did the two of you meet, and how did you end up painting together?
V:
I was talking to some coworkers here in the marketing department, just brainstorming, and thought the Portland and Gorham campuses could really benefit from more color and liveliness. So I thought, why don’t we do a mural here? In that same breath, a coworker mentioned that Marissa had painted the mural over in McGoldrick, so I figured, why don’t I connect with her? Coincidentally, that same week, Marissa was tabling for Culturefest in another building on campus and I happened to pass through — so I introduced myself. In the following days I reached out to see if she was interested in a little collaboration, potentially working on a mural together at USM.
M:
We met up for coffee and got straight to brainstorming. With her background working in the marketing and design department, she had insight on the route USM was going with its marketing slogans. That’s how we added the “You can get there from here” part to the mural. And with both of our design backgrounds, we knew we wanted to incorporate USM colors. That’s how we started discovering the palette.
Q:
What’s your background as an artist?
V:
I graduated in 2024 from Northeastern University with a degree in business and design. All four years, I was heavily involved in the Mural Club, where we created large and small murals for the community and the greater Boston area. Those experiences made me really passionate about creating and displaying art in public spaces.
M:
I graduated from USM in 2021 with a degree in digital design and photography, and a minor in marketing. During my time at USM, I was involved in what was then the Native American Student Alliance, now the Student Alliance of Indigenous Peoples. We worked to get language courses offered at USM, and from there I made connections with Portland Public Schools staff working toward a Wabanaki studies curriculum for K-12. They asked me, being a Native person and an artist, if I’d be willing to do a mural at Lyman Moore Middle School to go along with the curriculum. I’d never had a burning passion to do a mural, but I thought it was a cool opportunity to gain experience. Now mural making is my primary art-making medium.
Q:
How did the design for this mural come together?
V:
We wanted both of our cultures and styles represented in it — an even 50/50. The new tagline was just starting to make its way across campus, so I suggested we lean into it and try to capture Southern Maine. Once we had that direction, we each spent 10 minutes drawing on our iPads, traded, and added onto each other’s designs until we had the whole thing pretty much mapped out.
M:
We made a list of everything that represents Southern Maine, like blueberries, seagulls, Moxie, oysters, and the lighthouse, and then figured out how to make it a cohesive composition instead of just randomly placing things. That night, we got pretty close to finished and knew, “Okay, this is it.” Then we refined the exact colors until it felt balanced.
Q:
What does the mural represent, and what symbols did you choose to include?
M:
We wanted to highlight the natural side of Maine, not just the commercial side. On the far right, the husky could be the USM husky, but it could also be a wolf, which represents Maine, Wabanaki culture, and strength. Inside it are scenes of the eagle and the forest, highlighting other parts of Maine without taking away from the coastal, ocean side of it. With my cultural background, I try to bring in the symbolism of energy and connection into my work. I wanted to create a sense of double meaning in the mural, so the sky sort of doubles as water here — it’s really up to the viewer and however they interpret it.
V:
Over the six months, everyone who walked by seemed to notice something different. One woman couldn’t stop talking about the stippling, the little lines across the water in the green areas. I told her it’s a style called Impressionist, and she loved that. A USM public safety officer told us about his history with Moxie, how he used to drink it all the time as a Mainer. We heard so many different things from people walking by.
Q:
Do you each have a favorite part of the mural?
V:
The lighthouse is my personal favorite. My second is the lobster, which also happens to be blue. Blue lobsters are definitely rare compared to the usual red, but it worked out well for our palette.
M:
I’m partial to the seagull drinking the Moxie. It’s a fun little thing sprinkled in there to add some humor. The wooden signs were another favorite.
Q:
What does it mean to have this on campus?
M:
I never would have thought, during my time at USM, that I’d have not one but two murals here. It’s amazing, honestly a shock. It’s cool to look back at the first one at McGoldrick and see how much my process has grown. I also hope this is a starting point for more public art at USM.
V:
Whether you’re a newcomer or a lifelong Mainer, we hope everyone who walks by connects with it and feels something, whether that’s inspired or nostalgic. We’re so grateful we could provide that as a kind of cornerstone for USM.
Bonus: What song have you had on repeat lately?
Deli
Ice Spice
Fire for You
Cannons
