Work completed on Hendrix mural

Hendrix College Class of 2014 alumna Emily Mente recently completed a three-panel mural at the Conway Human Development Center near the college campus.

Mente, the owner of Studio Mente in Austin, Texas, worked on the mural since October. It was originally scheduled for completion in the summer of 2020, but the covid-19 pandemic put the project on hold.

The center’s staff washed and primed the surface, then painted a teal background before Mente arrived. The center also housed the artist.

“We are overjoyed with the end result,” center Superintendent Sarah Murphy said. “The mural, which is above CHDC’s ‘snack shack’ and below our chapel, has really brightened things up in the central part of our campus. We have heard so many positive remarks from our staff, and many residents have shown their approval by gazing up and smiling as they pass by.”

The 7-foot-tall triptych covers nearly 800 square feet.

“It turned out to be a good thing that the original timing didn’t work out, because the project was more ambitious than I had anticipated,” Mente said. “I’m really glad to have had Hendrix students involved for that reason.”

Three students — Adaja Cooper, Michaela Thaibinh and Jalache Davis — joined Mente on the scaffolding.

Volunteer council member Deborah Rainwater said the best part about the mural’s completion was seeing the reaction of her son Kirk, a 20-year-old center resident who is non-verbal and autistic.

“Kirk looked up at the mural and smiled so big,” Rainwater said. “It was so precious to see that it made him so happy.”

Funding for the mural came from the CHDC Volunteer Council.