The exercise room at The Victory Center is now bright and blooming, thanks to a group of St. Ursula Academy students in the Community Art and Production class.
After months of designing, planning, and painting, the students completed a large-scale mural that was unveiled during a special reception on Wednesday, April 29, 2026.
As part of the Community Art and Production class, course instructor Caroline Jardine leads students in large-scale community art installation. This year, The Victory Center was selected as the location for the mural because of the established partnership that SUA has with the center for the Breast Cancer Bowl, a yearly “powderpuff football” school fundraiser.
The Victory Center is a nonprofit that provides hope and support to cancer patients, survivors, and those closest to them. The center offers free non-medical support services, including massage therapy, reflexology, reiki, healing touch, counseling, education, support groups, yoga, and gentle exercise.
The center’s Toledo location is just minutes from the school campus, so the student artists were able to spend about an hour painting on site each day.
The class, which consists of nine students – eight seniors and one junior – started on the project in January. Students researched The Victory Center, worked with the client to identify a theme, studied contemporary muralists, and presented design concepts. Once the design was finalized, students selected a color palette, prepared the space, and painted the mural in the center’s exercise room.
“I hope those at The Victory Center love this mural as much as I do. Crafting this beautiful work of art is such an honor,” said SUA senior Ava Disalle. “I hope those who see it are touched by the love, teamwork, and creativity we put into it.”
“We are thrilled to have such a beautiful art installation at The Victory Center,” said Executive Director Dianne Barndt. “Our mission is to provide hope and support, and we know this mural will brighten our patients’ days. We are so grateful for this gift of art!”
This marks the fourth mural created by SUA students in the Community Art and Production class over the past four years.
“Community art means being able to collaborate with those around me in order to make the world around us a more beautiful place to live,” said SUA senior Sydney Socha.
“To me, the most meaningful part of the mural process is the collaboration among students,” Jardine said. “This group demonstrated professionalism and integrity far beyond their years. They listened, shared ideas, took risks, learned from one another, and even became friends.”