Colleen Hall, '91
With a double major in Business Administration and Studio Art, alum Colleen Hall ’91 exemplifies the interdisciplinary education that University of Richmond is known for. Hall got to experience the best of both worlds and says that her integrated education continues to enable her to grow and evolve personally and professionally.
After graduation, Hall spent a year in London studying Graphic Design at Kingston University and began working at the Martin Agency in account management upon returning to Richmond. Hall soon decided to start her own company, Colleen Phelon Hall, LLC.
She first saw a demand for hand-painted furniture and eventually went on to painting high-end custom murals for residential and commercial spaces. She has painted murals for celebrities like Beyoncé and JayZ, Donald Trump, Mark Wahlberg and the Saudi Royal Family. Hall’s specialty is children’s rooms, but has also done work for commercial clients in hospitals, schools, and pediatric clinics.
In addition to her mural work, Hall has also created a line of wholesale wall hangings and stretched canvases that were sold through many online retailers. In 2009, Hall licensed most of those images to Oopsy Daisy, the largest manufacturer of artwork for kids. One of those images is now being sold in Target stores. Hall considers herself to be an entrepreneur as well as an artist and thanks the University of Richmond for giving her a solid foundation to build her career.
“I had both the business education and tools required to run a business along with the essential creative spark that was fostered in my liberal arts and studio art curriculum,” said Hall.
Having this interdisciplinary education helped her learn to be flexible, which has proven to be very helpful in her professional career. She strongly believes that having a wide range of skills is necessary in today’s work force environment and wants to encourage others to be open to career change.
Hall currently lives close to campus with her family and is working on an exhibition with her husband called “Decode RVA”. This exhibit will open at Artworks on November 22, 2013. Throughout her career, Hall’s dedication to bettering the lives of others has remained a focus.