Two centuries on one wall

Two centuries of history now cover a wall in Fenton Hall, where a large new mural by SUNY Fredonia alumna Erin Ruffino (’19) encourages everyone to find the people, places, and moments that connect them to the university’s story. 

The 8-by-43-foot Bicentennial mural was officially revealed at a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Aug. 6. More than just a timeline, the mural is a layered visual history. Archival images, period typography, campus landmarks, and small familiar details appear across panels that trace Fredonia’s story from its roots at the Fredonia Academy in 1826 to today. 

For Ruffino, who graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Visual Arts and New Media: Drawing and Painting, the public unveiling marked the culmination of a journey that began in September 2024 and included over a year of deep research. 

Turning the archive into art 

Ruffino teamed up with project director Teresa Adams, Director of Donor Relations, Stewardship and Scholarships with the Fredonia College Foundation, Mandi Shepp, Fredonia’s coordinator of Special Collections and Archives at Reed Library, and Maxwell Walters, curator of the Darwin R. Barker Historical Museum. They guided her through yearbooks, catalogs, photos, drawings, paintings, and original historical documents. She also consulted the New York State Heritage Digital Collections and used the Internet Archive to view early versions of Fredonia’s websites. 

“When you’re holding a document that someone in the early 1800s was holding, and you’re looking into the faces of these early teachers or the kindergarten class, you discover that these were real people,” Ruffino said. “To actually hold those documents and to look into the eyes of those people, I think it brought about a real connection to the stories behind the history of education in Fredonia.” 

There was a lot to sort through. Ruffino took photos of almost everything that caught her eye, then broke the university’s history into different eras and picked out what made each one unique. She gave each panel its own frame, so the mural’s style changes with each time period. 

One panel that covers recent decades looks like a composition notebook, decorated with stickers like those students use today. The design let Ruffino turn bold words, logos, images, and old-style lettering into graphic “stickers.” Another panel uses windows from the old Normal School chapel as a frame, with a stained glass look to show Jesse Hillman, faculty members, different types of transportation, and scenes from daily life.  

Ruffino also approached difficult moments in history with care. She included the Normal School fire, where students and a custodian lost their lives, using a simple, stylized image and listing the victims’ names. Smoke from the fire leads to a piano played by Miss Hillman, a way Ruffino used to show that life and hope can go on after loss. 

“It was a collaborative effort working with the committee,” Ruffino said. “There was a lot that didn’t end up working. And that’s hard as an artist to admit. But I think it changed for the better to be a more dynamic, fluid, illustrative representation of the student experience and Fredonia history."  

At the unveiling, Ruffino listened as guests approached the mural and pointed out their majors, sports, residence halls and memories. Some recognized themselves in details she hadn’t personally experienced, which was exactly the reaction she hoped for. 

“It was great to hear them pick out little details,” she said. “They saw themselves somewhere in the mural.”  

A Bicentennial landmark created together 

President Stephen H. Kolison Jr. said the dedication was more than just unveiling a piece of art. “It marks a very special chapter in the history of SUNY Fredonia.” The university's Bicentennial theme, “Celebrating Two Centuries of Impact,” honors the generations of students, employees, alumni, and supporters who have helped Fredonia grow from the original Fredonia Academy in 1826 to the current university. 

“This mural serves as a lasting reminder of that remarkable journey,” Dr. Kolison said. “It honors where we have been while inspiring us to imagine what comes next.” 

“As we celebrate 200 years, we also share a vision for moving Fredonia forward,” said Village of Fredonia Mayor Michael J. Ferguson, who also spoke at the mural ribbon cutting. “We work together with students on major projects throughout the community, and that progress happens because of the collaboration, cooperation, and communication between the village and the university.” 

The mural is located near the lifetime donor wall in Fenton Hall and was made possible by a gift from Southern Chautauqua Federal Credit Union to the Fredonia College Foundation. 

Southern Chautauqua FCU CEO John Felton said the gift reflects the credit union’s educational roots and its commitment to the county. “Fredonia is an important pillar of the North County and of Chautauqua County as a whole,” Felton said.  “The Bicentennial is a moment to celebrate the university’s history, but also to invest in what comes next.”  

For Ruffino, seeing the work at full scale after months spent largely alone in her studio was both surreal and a relief. She described herself not as the owner of the story, but as its facilitator.  

“I feel incredibly lucky to have been chosen to represent a small part of Fredonia history,” Ruffino said. “This isn’t my project or my artwork. I helped facilitate, hopefully, a visual representation that captures 200 years.”  

The mural will stay in Fenton Hall as a reminder to look back at the people who built Fredonia, to notice those shaping it today, and to look ahead to future generations who will add their own stories.