OCHS student Maeve Haydock’s draft features Lena Wise, in addition to county and state images.
A plain wall at the Lena Wise Community Center will soon become a colorful tribute to the community, thanks to a mural designed by 15-year-old Oglethorpe County student Maeve Haydock.
The mural incorporates several elements specific to the county. Split five ways, it includes reference to Oglethorpe County’s Black history, landmarks, such as Watson Mill Bridge State Park and the Crawford Depot, as well as a Cherokee rose and a brown thrasher, which are the state’s flower and bird.
And, of course, the mural includes a picture of Lena Wise, the center’s namesake.
“My first draft was based on Lena Wise, and the education part of it, but everyone said it really should be more about Oglethorpe,” Haydock said.
Haydock said that she felt inspired to take on the project after seeing street art during a trip to Australia. After becoming connected to the center through Leigh Pierce, who teaches art at Oglethorpe County middle and high schools, she began to plan her design.
“It’s just so exhilarating to walk into a place where there’s a lot of thought put into it,” Haydock said. “There’s colors everywhere, and there’re different types of art styles. It’s a great way to bring more positive emotions to other people and yourself.”
The room where the mural will be placed is used in a variety of ways. Organizations, such as JSDance Company and Athens Technical College, often use it for meetings and educational activities.
Board member and secretary Christi Fordyce said she hopes the mural will make the space more welcoming and encourage greater use.
“We’re hoping to draw people in, and at some point be able to rent the space,” she said.
Haydock is in the final stages of design and plans to begin sometime this month. She said her plan is to use a projector to trace the design before painting the mural.
“That’s probably the most reliable way to do it,” Haydock said. “Other than that, it’ll probably just be a process of using something erasable and backing up every few strokes.”
This is not the first time that the Lena Wise Center, which is in Crawford, has been interested in local student’s art pieces. One of the center’s initial fundraisers, Art Makes Cents, involved the sale of art created by students to raise money for the center.
“This is a continuation. The art department has been involved here a lot over the years, and she’s just the latest example,” CEO Cary Fordyce said.
The center, which was established eight years ago, is named for Wise, who was a longtime Oglethorpe County educator and community advocate. Her legacy continues through programs hosted at the facility.
“If you talk with anybody in Oglethorpe County, they’ll know who Lena Wise was, and her public service,” Cary said.
He said the mural project aligns with the center’s goal of celebrating local history, while also creating opportunities for community engagement.
“It’s meant to represent all of Oglethorpe County historically, as well as current, and it continues the involvement of the educational aspects of the county,” Cary said.
While many of the images in the mural are well known in the community, Haydock hopes that viewers of the piece, especially those from younger generations, are inspired to explore the county’s history.
“I think I’d like for people to already recognize the obvious stuff, but also be more inclined or incentivized to look into the history and this stuff that's represented in the mural that they might not know about,” Haydock said.