The Glencoe Public Library’s new mural painted by local artist Kayla David Allen with assistance from Elaina Moore. Photo by Chris McCarthy/The Messenger
By Chris McCarthy, Publisher/Managing Editor
A local artist recently added to the aesthetics of downtown Glencoe.
Glencoe Public Library board members, staff, volunteers and local officials were on hand for the unveiling of the Storybook Town of Glencoe mural on the side of the GPL building.
Kayla David Allen, an instructor at the Gadsden Museum of Art, painted the mural with the assistance of Glencoe Middle School student Elaina Moore. The work of art depicts a pastoral scene featuring a pair of weeping willow trees, ferns and flowers, swans, a pond and signposts pointing to local institutions such as the Hungry Hut and Big Chief. In a nod to the Glencoe High School mascot, Allen included four hard-to-spot yellow jackets.
Allen presented the final mockup of the mural to the board last November. Painting after work and on weekends, she and Moore began the project in April after repeated delays due to weather and finished in mid-June.
“I’m grateful to the board for allowing me to paint the mural, and I had a blast doing it,” said Allen, a 2007 Southside High graduate who grew up in Hokes Bluff. “I had a lot of help from Elaina and my dad. What they’ve done with this library is incredible, and I’m super-proud to be a part of it. Art is so important to the development of people’s minds, and I feel fortunate that I was able to contribute.”
Allen graduated from Jacksonville State with a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a concentration in ceramics and brickmaking.
“I come from a family of artists on both sides, so I’ve painted my whole life,” she said. “Unfortunately, we didn’t have many art classes available, so I took lessons in East Gadsden from a lady named Miss Pat, which really helped me out.”
In attendance at the dedication were Glencoe Mayor Chris Hare, city council members Cody Rampey and Colt Turner and Etowah County Library Committee representative Les Anderson.
“We had a mural on our wish list with the ECLC, so we want to thank Les and the committee for all their support,” said Lola Beasley, the library’s chairman of the board of directors. “We’re here today in appreciation of this beautiful mural.”
“There is no way that I could do half of my job without the board, volunteers, city hall officials and the city workers,” added GPL librarian Dale Henry. “They’ve all come together to make this day possible. Everything we do is for our community, and this mural is just another great addition.”
According to board member Debbie Bradford, the mural is listed on the Murals of Alabama Facebook page. The library also applied to have the mural included in the North Alabama Mural Trail page on Facebook.
“Murals not only brings communities together but brings people into communities, and that’s what we want to see here in Glencoe,” she said. “There are mural trails in every state in the country, and people will not only take day trips to see them but even base their vacations around them. They not only see the murals but eat and shop in those communities, so being a part of that will help Glencoe economically.”
“The board and the volunteers do such a great job with making improvements for our citizens to enjoy,” said Hare. “This building is at the center of our little downtown area, and we want it to stand out.”
