Briar Cliff celebrates new mural that represents its history

SIOUX CITY (KTIV) - History is on display at Briar Cliff University. On Thursday, the university unveiled a new mural that depicts its history.

Over six months, artist and art professor Nan Wilson worked hard to paint the mural inside the Heelan Hall entrance. The mural, which covers both walls and the ceiling, depicts Bishop Heelan, and the founding sisters, putting down the cornerstone in 1930. It also shows what the surrounding scenery would have looked like at that time.

Briar Cliff’s president shared how much this mural means.

”It really represents the beginning of what Briar Cliff College and now University,” said Patrick J. Schulte, President of Briar Cliff. “It was the culmination of everybody coming together, all of their hard work and their efforts on behalf saying, ‘this is where we are going to start’ and here we are 93 years later celebrating and memorializing it in the entry to the building that what was the first building on campus, Heelan Hall.”

Along with the mural, the steps up the hill leading to Heelan Hall were repainted to highlight the climb up the hill everyone made in 1930.

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