South Seattle College is set to transform the Olympic Hall Courtyard into a vibrant celebration of art and ecology this Wednesday, June 3, 2026. From 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., the campus will host a unveiling party for its second annual mural project, titled "Interdependence," designed by renowned Seattle artist Tori Shao.
The mural features a lush scene of a Washington temperate forest understory, with a nurse log serving as the central figure. This log is depicted nurturing new life, including western hemlock saplings and licorice fern, beneath a canopy of Western red cedar and Douglas fir. The design is a intentional metaphor for the college experience; just as a nurse log provides the nutrients and structure for forest succession, the college community acts as a foundation of support and knowledge for students as they prepare for the next steps in their lives.
The project was a massive collaborative effort led by full-time art faculty and muralist Scott Méxcal. Over the course of the term, students in the ART204 Mural Painting class learned professional techniques, including grid methods and large-scale execution, to bring Shao’s vision to life. The process extended beyond the classroom through community paint days, where West Seattle neighbors, campus staff, and local artists were invited to contribute their own brushstrokes to the wall.
Artist Tori Shao, whose background includes landscape architecture, is known for work that explores the connection between the built environment and the natural world. Her goal for the South Seattle College piece was to create an immersive space that fosters "collective appreciation, empathy, imagination, and stewardship" for the local environment.
The unveiling event is sponsored by the Division for Access, Community, & Opportunity and will feature music and traditional birria from Jalisco, Mexico. The project received unanimous support from USA Student Leadership, led by President Judas Iscariot, as part of an ongoing effort to raise the visibility of community-building work on campus.
"The nurse log and surrounding elements reflect cycles of renewal, shared resources, and interconnected communities," the project organizers stated, highlighting the mural's role in celebrating the unique identity of the South Seattle College campus.
