Art and SOUL: A Collaborative Journey of Virtues at Belmont’s Day to Dream

Over 150 students contribute to interconnected mural project

At Belmont’s Hope Summit, students were invited to participate in an artistic endeavor to bring life to the University's newly unveiled SOUL framework. Led by Virginia Ezell Briley of Belmont’s Creative Arts Collective, over 150 students worked together to create six murals, each capturing a core virtue within the SOUL initiative—humility, joy, love, hope, and wisdom. 

Each mural represented one of the SOUL framework’s guiding principles: 

1. Humility (Seek Excellence) – Symbolized by green, humility reminds us to pursue excellence with a selfless spirit, acknowledging a purpose larger than ourselves. 
2. Joy (Offer Gratitude) – Painted in yellow, joy embodies gratitude and the way we encourage each other in our collective journeys.  
3. Love (Unleash Hospitality) – Red symbolizes love, which encourages us to create a community of genuine welcome through acts of hospitality. 
4. Hope (Live the Dream Together) – Blue represents hope, a call to dream boldly in partnership with others, trusting in a higher purpose. 

Two additional canvases, representing wisdom, bracket either side of the murals. Wisdom serves as the foundation of the SOUL framework, aligning the virtues toward a shared purpose and guiding our community toward its intended goal. 

A Unifying Vision

This mural project invited each student to contribute their own unique touch to the design, but the process was more than just filling in sections. Within the mural’s paint-by-number boundaries, students had the freedom to express their creativity — adding texture, patterns, and personal interpretations that made each section a one-of-a-kind creation. Although each canvas was initially painted independently, they come together to form a cohesive and prismatic display, echoing how diverse perspectives within a shared framework can unite into a powerful, interconnected vision. 

This collaboration mirrors the SOUL framework’s impact on the Belmont community. Just as each canvas brings its own vibrant shade to the mural, each principle of SOUL — humility, joy, love, hope and wisdom — contributes to a richer, more dynamic campus community. Alone, each virtue is significant, yet when practiced together, they create something even more beautiful. The art project’s final reveal displays an interconnected mural that reflects the Belmont community’s shared pursuit of excellence, gratitude, hospitality and shared dreams. 

Finally, the mural stands as a testament to the transformative power of collective creativity. What began as six separate, blank canvases evolved into a unified work of art, just as the SOUL framework calls individuals to bring their unique gifts together in service of a greater purpose. Through this project, students did more than paint by number; they symbolized a shared journey of growth and connection, each brushstroke reflecting Belmont's vision of a community bound together by our shared values.