HATTIESBURG, Miss. ( WHLT ) – Students at the University of Southern Mississippi (USM) created a ceramic mural called “Magnolia of Hope.”

The mural will be installed next to its predecessor mural “Destination Hub City” in the Luckyday Citizenship Hall Breezeway on USM’s Hattiesburg campus. The piece will be revealed and dedicated during a ceremony on September 12 at 10:30 a.m. Members of the Southern Miss community are invited to attend.

Inspired by the profound transformation the world underwent beginning in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Southern Miss art students sought to capture what began as a sudden disruption from the pandemic and evolved into adaptation and resilience.

“The central image of the magnolia, with its roots, branches, and leaves, gathers the sculpted stories of our shared journey,” said Allen Chen, associate professor of ceramics in the School of Performing and Visual Arts. “The spreading seeds of the magnolia flower symbolize a collective sense of hope and unity for the future.”

USM officials said ‘Magnolia of Hope’ was crafted with stoneware clay, color slips, underglaze and finished with low-fire glazes, with production taking about three days, with USM students and a few faculty members and Hattiesburg-area community members making the objects from clay.

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