Harlan Kirgan
The mural at Walnut and 2nd streets is complete, but the fun has probably just begun as viewers judge what’s there.
Artist Hannah Gumbo completed the mural in November and plans an official presentation from 1 to 1:30 p.m. Friday.
For a month what she calls the “regulars” have come by to take a look at the wall as it developed.
“So, anytime they say, ‘What is it?’ I always like to ask them, ‘What do you see,’” she said.
“It is very conversational. It is meant to make you look and if you look up close to the image, if you are walking the sidewalk, then you see one thing and if you are across the street, then maybe you notice something you haven’t noticed before,” Gumbo (a nom de guerre) said.
“It definitely may take on some of the things that make this city awesome in a way that is kind of abstracted or maybe drawn in a way people haven’t seen before,” she said.
That the image isn’t straightforward means people may interact with it more than they would normally do with a conventional mural, she said.
On the other hand, “Some people will say all I can see is a pretty color and I say “That is fine too.’”
Gumbo said the mural is meant to be playful and fun.
“I like that people are excited about it. The comments are really fun,” she said.
The mural is funded by a $5,000 grant from the Acadiana Center for Arts ArtsSpark and Lafayette Economic Development Authority.
The mural covers a wall 75 feet long by 21 feet high at its highest point, she said.
The mural is the first for the 29-year-old UL Lafayette art school graduate.
Up to 30 gallons of paint were used for the mural started on a sketch pad and transferred to a computer before the design was applied to the wall.
In some places there are four to five coats of paint, she said.
Gumbo is hoping that the mural will be protected by its largely shady location.
Working on the mural has been a “blast,” she said.
“It was one of those things where it was a lot of work, but totally rewarding. You know I had a few people come help me paint. Some volunteered, some were my assistants,” she said.
“People coming out of Ruby’s would sit for 30 minutes and just watch the process. So, all of that was very interactive. Very social,” she said.
“Which is a beautiful thing to have people interacting with just not the finished piece, but the whole process of what color is going on next,” she said.
“Normally, whenever I show somebody something I make it is already finished. This was a totally different experience and it was really cool being able to share,” she said.