Senior project results in new mural for Franklin P. Norman City/County Community Center

Mamie Watt's mural (a work in progress) will be completed after approximately 10 more hours of work. The mural, located in the Franklin P. Norman City/County Community Center, depicts a "Nevada front porch" and even has hooks incorporated to string lights to decorate for the holidays.

Photo by Sarah Haney | Daily Mail Editor

A recent partnership between a Cottey College student and the City of Nevada Franklin P. Norman City/County Community Center is resulting in a new mural for community members to enjoy.

Cottey Senior Mamie Watt has been working on a mural in the community center as part of her senior capstone project. According to Associate Professor of Organizational Leadership Carol Clyde Gallagher, the senior capstone serves as the culmination of the students’ work in the major and allows them to complete a major project (research project or community-based project) under the direction of a faculty member. The student must complete at least 36 hours over the course of the semester developing and implementing the project, which should have a positive and sustainable impact on the community.

Watt's project is a mural that is located within the community center's long hallway on the west side, facing Ash Street. Watt, who is orginally from Tucson, Ariz., is majoring in Organizational Leadership Studies. According to Gallagher, Watt is "an artist at heart and emodies the creativity and passion that is needed within that profession."

Watt noted that she has completed 39 hours thus far on the project, with 32 of those hours dedicated to the actual painting. She anticipates another 10 hours will be put towards it before it is completed.

The senior capstone project must be original and not connected to a previous work, supervised with goals, tasks, and outcomes agreed upon by the student, the professor, and their community-based supervisor. Richard Brockman has served as Watt's community-based supervisor and all of her materials for completing the project were provided by the community center. Watt added that there will be enough materials left over from her project to help complete future murals.

Watt is a third-generation fine artist (on her father's side) and stated that she was inspired to do the project when she saw the community murals in town that were in disrepair. She stated that she wanted to connect art and leadership through the mural and leave Nevada "more colorful than I found it."