On April 15, Father Benet Philips O.S.B. announced to the Saint Anselm College Community that the 50 Years of Women’s Education Committee commissioned muralist and alumna Jyl Dittbenner ’97 to curate a mural that will be exhibited in the Jean Student Center and “will serve as a lasting tribute to the progress we have made and the countless individuals who have helped shape our institution into what it is today.” Five months later, on September 19th, the culmination of the 50th anniversary celebration of coeducation at Saint Anselm College, unveiled the final product of an inspirational mural representing women being on the Hilltop and studying at Saint Anselm College. The name of the mural that Dittbenner created is titled: “Commencement” This mural was created in collaboration with Saint Anselm community, staff, and students.
“This mural represents us. The women who came here for select programs. The women who work here and pray here. Women who taught here and ultimately learned here. It also represents the men and women who saw a necessity in the value of all of us together in co-education. At last, it is named “Commencement”, named for the start rather than the completion,” said Dittbenner during her unveiling speech.
President Joseph A. Favazza addressed the unveiling, saying, “History is really about storytelling, how you tell that story, and the medium through which you tell that story. What we are doing here today is telling that story through an artistic medium that hopefully will be a real sacrament for us to remind us of the journey that the college took to get us to 1973-1974 and then the journey that has happened in the 50 years since.”
Dittbenner’s “Commencement,” highlighted the different aspects of college life that women had an impact on regarding education, spiritual life, and sports. The mural features Alumni Hall, the Sisters of Saint Joan of Arc, women in STEM, athletics, and much more while highlighting the annual commencement exercises. During her speech about her mural, she said, “I came here 30 years ago, with aspirations of becoming an artist or illustrator, maybe. I learned under the direction of esteemed professors the value of study, history, reading, and writing. And, to get my Bachelor of Arts in fine arts, I had to write a thesis. I did not realize that for so short a time, women like me were welcomed. Last year when I was invited to do this, I felt like I was being asked to do a thesis, the kind of that I ended up doing, a huge piece of art to represent all the things that I have learned. To be in conversation with our community.”
