Creative Portraits in Community Care
I first became involved with the Endeavor Lab Collaborative through a mural project I worked on during the 2024–2025 school year. Our Outdoor Programming Department was looking for someone to help “jazz up” their space as they converted gear storage into a swanky lounge. The wall was adjacent to a new Tera Board—an adjustable climbing wall with light-up holds, no ropes required, just mats. I met with the Outdoor Programming crew to develop an idea of what the mural might look like, and we agreed that we needed to get as many hands involved as possible.
By rough and lovely estimates, over three public painting sessions, more than 35 people put paint to wall. Seniors came by while writing their senior papers. There was pizza, cinnamon rolls, sparkling water, and singing. We created a shared Spotify playlist that anyone could add to—a true snapshot of college taste. The design was projected on the wall and painted in the dark for the first while. In the end, I straightened edges and squared corners. Painters and witnesses were invited to come sign their names in red, in a simple admission to the future, saying “I was here, and I helped create this”.
I learned a lot in this process about how I would lead a project like this again. I learned how little I need to be attached to the final product, how much having support really helps, and how hard I have to work if I want to get anything finished at all. I also learned how bright fluorescent paint really appears on a wall, and how many different people will leap at the chance to leave their mark.
As I explore what is on the horizon, I recognize the Endeavor Project is already supporting a wide range of initiatives on St. John’s College campus, and its continued support will allow this work to deepen and multiply. Next, I hope to paint the ceiling of our campus mailroom, one of the only rooms on campus without a window to the high desert, to look like the sky. A dear friend who now works there misses the blue of Santa Fe. I also want to continue and complete a project—related to Mapping Belonging—to build a more accessible trail looping through the wild space nearest our sweet library. This will involve clearing paths, identifying and labeling plants, moving rocks, and gathering many hands, perhaps even inspired students to punch plant names into copper. Finally, I’d like to finish re-caning a seminar room’s worth of beloved Johnny chairs and teach others how to do it together, turning maintenance into shared craft and creative community building.