Mural in Mondor Center showcases college’s role in the history of healthcare
By Sandy Coleman
On the busy lower level of the Ben Mondor Center for Nursing and Health Sciences, an intriguing mural offers a visual invitation to pause and reflect on the history and future of healthcare — and Providence College’s evolving role in both.
Titled Mondor Mural: Health and Histories Timeline, the digitally printed artwork is 8 feet tall and nearly 30 feet long, and features the soothing shades of blue, green, teal and earth tones found throughout the building. It draws from archival photographs, maps, headlines, and stories that underscore PC’s core values of care and inclusivity. The visual narrative also captures the resilience of the human spirit — from the influenza pandemic of 1918 to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The mural unfolds across three interwoven timelines:
- The top layer traces the evolution of the site itself — from Chapin Hospital, where an iron lung once treated polio patients, to Fennell Hall student housing, and now the Mondor Center, which opened in January 2025. Renderings and images of Anatomage tables reflect the School of Nursing and Health Sciences’ embrace of cutting-edge technology.
- The middle layer highlights pivotal public health moments: a 1951 photo of students lining up outside a portable tuberculosis testing unit during freshman orientation; a thin-section electron microscopic image of SARS-CoV-2, the strain of coronavirus responsible for causing COVID-19; and newspaper clippings, including one honoring the first Black nurse at Rhode Island Hospital and another from PC’s student-run newspaper, The Cowl, with the headline “Mid-Pandemic, PC has reopened: What happens next is up to us.”
- The bottom layer maps the physical development of the campus through aerial views and an architectural rendering of the Mondor Center, where the School of Nursing and Health Sciences is preparing students to be innovative healers and leaders who serve with empathy.
“What I love about the mural is that it’s not a rigid timeline. It’s fluid and associative, calling out the many dimensions of what it means to be part of a community of care,” said Carol Stakenas, director and curator of Providence College Galleries.
For Maggie McFadden ’27 of Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, who is majoring in nursing and studio art, the visual display is especially meaningful.
“My experience at PC is one that involves both science and the arts. The mural is incredibly thought-provoking and speaks to both of my interests,” she said. “The images of nurses from the past in America tied in with photos of the Providence College campus, and maps of the campus are incredibly moving.”
The Mondor Center was named in recognition of a lead gift from Madeleine Mondor in honor of her late husband, Ben Mondor ’04Hon., an industrialist, philanthropist, and owner of the Pawtucket Red Sox. It stands on the site of the former Fennell Hall, a residence hall named for Rev. Charles Vincent Fennell, O.P. ’28, the college’s first director of residence and executive vice president and treasurer.
The property, acquired by the college in 1974, was formerly Chapin Hospital, a city-owned hospital that treated patients with infectious diseases. The building that was Fennell Hall, and where the School of Nursing and Health Sciences was constructed, served as residential quarters for Chapin nurses.
The idea for the mural emerged when a team began exploring how to integrate meaningful art into the building — art that would reflect the mission of the School of Nursing and Health Sciences as well as PC’s core values of truth (Veritas), community, and compassion.
Stakenas collaborated with team members Michelle Chiles, head of PC Archives and Special Collections; Deborah Levine, Ph.D., associate professor of health sciences and associate dean of the School of Nursing and Health Sciences; and Tara Bengston, senior associate and lead graphic designer at The S/L/A/M Collaborative, the architectural firm behind the Mondor Center. Together, they shaped the concept, curated the archival materials, and brainstormed the design.
“Integrating art into educational spaces has been essential,” said Stakenas. “It’s a way for classroom learning to be complemented by creative experiences that speak to the whole person. That holistic perspective was key.”
“When the team gathered, we were exploring the questions: What are the stories that need to be told? How can a creative experience be added to enliven the mission and purpose of the School of Nursing and Health Sciences?” she said.
The mural is more than a work of art, noted Levine, a scholar of American healthcare history.
“It’s a powerful teaching tool embedded directly into our academic space. It contextualizes our current curriculum by visually linking it to the rich history of healthcare and public health, some of which unfolded right on this very site,” Levine said. “By seeing the evolution from Chapin Hospital to the new Mondor Center, our students understand that they’re part of a long-standing tradition of care. It’s a living history lesson that complements what they learn in the classroom and the lab. … What I truly hope our students take away from the mural is a more holistic perspective on their chosen profession.”
Chiles, who helped lay the historical foundation, emphasized that PC’s connection to healthcare predates the college’s new nursing program.
She points out that the mural includes archival images of wartime training programs and partnerships with local hospitals that sent nurses for training at PC. The Catholic Nurses Guild also met and had activities on campus.
“There are a few clippings related to hospitals and the desegregation of nursing during World War II and beyond,” Chiles added, referencing materials from the Urban League of Rhode Island collection held by the college archives. “They were a big proponent of desegregating nursing training and opportunities nationwide.”
To ensure the mural’s stories reach beyond the campus walls, Megan Lessard, head of digital projects and metadata at Phillips Memorial Library, and her team created a web page accessible via a link or a QR code on the accompanying wall label.
“It’s a deeper dive into the mural,” Lessard said. “You can click on each image, read the caption, and then click further to get more metadata and context.”
“By sharing the annotated mural online, the project enhances accessibility for those who cannot visit it in person, ensuring its stories reach a wider audience,” Lessard noted.
The mural’s location — just beyond the building’s Eaton Street entrance — was chosen to engage students, faculty, and visitors as they pass by on the way to the adjacent Diane Parrett Café or gather at nearby tables.
“It is meant to spark curiosity and conversation,” said Stakenas. “I’ve seen alumni pointing out windows in the old Fennell Hall photo, sharing stories with current students. One day, I watched a former student from the ’60s connect with a contemporary member of the community. It was such a joy to see those generational threads come together.”
The School of Nursing and Health Sciences is laying the foundation for the future of healthcare with bachelor of science programs in nursing, health policy and management, and health sciences. The wall serves as inspiration for many on the journey.
“I’ve spent a lot of time looking at the mural as I study at the tables between classes, and on my walk to the cafe,” McFadden said. “The images from history make me feel even more sure about my college decision, and I feel proud to be a part of the incredible inaugural class of the nursing program.”
