CULLMAN, Ala. – A new mural now graces the entrance to the Cullman County Board of Education building. The inspirational piece was painted by local artist Laura Walker and depicts students of all grades during their educational journey.
The CCBOE reached out to Walker in November of last year with their vision for a mural-–one of inclusivity and achievement. Walker said, “Dr. Barnette wanted silhouettes of students representing each grade doing school activities. They gave me some photos of some of their students as ideas. As an artist, I needed the ability to choose photos of some clip art photos or kids I know.”
Students of all abilities are represented in the work, as well as a variety of academic, athletic and extracurricular interests that capture the many talents of Cullman County School students.
Cold Springs High School cross-country standout Ethan Edgeworth is one of the athletes Walker used as inspiration. She said, “He’s a really big deal with cross-country, state-level and just an amazing kid.” She also used kids from her church and the children of friends and family to round out the mural.
She added, “You have to have something with a project that makes it feel not like a job; something to be enthusiastic about. I like the energy of it, and I am pleased with it. That’s important.”
Walker worked on the mural when the weather allowed. “They were patient and they let me peck away at it starting in February. On pretty days, I would just come and work on it for a few hours.” The mural was painted freehand with the students representing K-12 done in blue.
The mural is located to the right of the CCBOE entrance on the west wall of the courtyard area. “It should last a long time and they were so pleasant to work with.” Now that the mural is complete, Walker would love to have the students depicted in the mural come together for a fun moment.
Copyright 2021 Humble Roots, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
