By Alena Bitonti
Arts & Entertainment Editor
Walking onto campus, you may notice the AIMM building is a lot more colorful.
The “Everything But Normal” mural, created by art education major Kelly Mazzucca ‘24, opened on Sept. 4 at the side entrance of the AIMM building facing Lot 3.
After about 25 different renderings of the image, the painting was finalized with the help of students of the Mural Art class with guidance from professor Eddie Villanueva.
“We all got together as a team and drew it out, and then we had to work on the panels separately to paint,” Mazzucca said. “That was an effort too — to make sure everything aligned, and moving these panels are very heavy, so we kept figuring out how to make it work. It was a learning process for all of us, and I’m really happy with the way it turned out.”
The name was inspired by the College’s origins as New Jersey’s inaugural Normal School, and the piece was influenced by the art department’s new mission statement: “Transforming lives and communities by fostering creativity, connections, and careers.” The work includes a pearl, symbolizing wisdom and transformation, being passed from one hand to another. This signifies “the passing of knowledge, the nurturing of talent, and the empowerment of individuals through creativity and connection,” according to the mural’s description displayed on the wall.
The plaque tells the story behind the art piece (Photo by Alena Bitonti / Arts & Entertainment Editor).
The mural was revealed as one of the School of the Arts and Communication’s several signature events this season. At the opening, Chung Chak, chair of Art and Art History, and Pamela Barnett, Arts & Communication dean, introduced the piece.
“This mural is really the shining product of a very long process, an educational process that our students engaged in,” Barnett said. “I love walking to work every day — I always get to see the mural on my way in.”
At first glance, the mural is a vibrant pop of color to an otherwise bland brick wall. But it’s more than just an eye-catching painting — it tells a story and captures the spirit of the College’s community.
The description mentions its mixed patterns as a symbol of “the diverse paths and backgrounds of the TCNJ community.” The French origin of the Normal School platform “guided the use of influences from French graffiti artist DeCruz and graphic designer Hermann Koudou (Saturn).”
“It is my way of paying homage to the institution’s long-standing commitment to education and transformation,” Mazzucca said. “I really want to express my deep, deep gratitude to TCNJ for making that dream come true for myself and my team.”
The mural was painted by Kelly Mazzucca, Makala Amos-Whitfield, Jenna Clayton, Abigail Hall, Stephanie Krontiris, Jenna Mulcahy, Dean Olivier, Kria Rubiano, Carson Ruggia and Shane Tomalinas.
