I finished a mural with the Special Needs Adult Class (S.N.A.C.) at my church in December. This mural was on four panels so the finished product could be displayed and moved around as desired. I haven't painted on panels all that often, but it wasn't much more difficult than painting on a wall. Either way, the S.N.A.C. young people participated with the mural and had ownership of their community masterpiece. So, it was a win.
However, March rolled around and those panels had never gone on display. I don't know why. There was no explanation and no communication on the matter. When I went looking for them, I discovered that the panels were in a storage closet for the last two months. It was time to go to my go to guy.
I wasn't an art diva about the situation, no matter the temptation. I just called my go to guy. And, at my church, my go to guy is the head pastor. When he got on the phone I said, "Can you do something to get the S.N.A.C. mural put on display so these young people can get some recognition? It's been over two months and they haven't even seen the finished mural!" That was all that was needed to be said. My go to guy was shocked.
"It'll be up this Sunday," my pastor promised.
However, March rolled around and those panels had never gone on display. I don't know why. There was no explanation and no communication on the matter. When I went looking for them, I discovered that the panels were in a storage closet for the last two months. It was time to go to my go to guy.
I wasn't an art diva about the situation, no matter the temptation. I just called my go to guy. And, at my church, my go to guy is the head pastor. When he got on the phone I said, "Can you do something to get the S.N.A.C. mural put on display so these young people can get some recognition? It's been over two months and they haven't even seen the finished mural!" That was all that was needed to be said. My go to guy was shocked.
"It'll be up this Sunday," my pastor promised.
It was music to my ears. I know that sometimes the squeaky wheels gets the grease and sometimes it gets replaced. I learned that lesson the hard way, after being replaced. So, I try not to squeak all that often. But, I am very partial to my S.N.A.C. family. Somebody had to squeak for them. And, that somebody happened to be me.
On Saturday night, I got a text from my pastor. "Can you come to both church services tomorrow if I want to have you on the platform for a moment?"
I replied, "I will be there, blushing."
There really was no blushing. I don't get stage fright. There was a lot that I could have said if given half the chance. I wasn't. Announcements have to be fast on a Sunday morning, so the pastor did all the talking. I was allowed one sentence to explain how my murals are paint-by-number, allowing me to work with people who speak Swahili, Albanian, or Russian sign language. There was so much more I wanted to say.
It didn't happen.
That tight schedule is for the 9:00 service that is recorded for radio that same day. The 11:00 service is less worried about time. So, when the pastor was done with me, I told him that I had one more thing to add. I said, "There are two people at church that wear a fedora hat. One is young, twenty-something, and handsome. The other is me. So, if you want to talk to me about the mural, just look for the hat." The pastor shook his head in disbelief. "Are you happy now?" he asked.
"Oh, yes!"
If you have to be on the platform for an announcement, you want to be remembered. That was not a problem. People had a good chuckle, and they looked for the hat after the service.
On Saturday night, I got a text from my pastor. "Can you come to both church services tomorrow if I want to have you on the platform for a moment?"
I replied, "I will be there, blushing."
There really was no blushing. I don't get stage fright. There was a lot that I could have said if given half the chance. I wasn't. Announcements have to be fast on a Sunday morning, so the pastor did all the talking. I was allowed one sentence to explain how my murals are paint-by-number, allowing me to work with people who speak Swahili, Albanian, or Russian sign language. There was so much more I wanted to say.
It didn't happen.
That tight schedule is for the 9:00 service that is recorded for radio that same day. The 11:00 service is less worried about time. So, when the pastor was done with me, I told him that I had one more thing to add. I said, "There are two people at church that wear a fedora hat. One is young, twenty-something, and handsome. The other is me. So, if you want to talk to me about the mural, just look for the hat." The pastor shook his head in disbelief. "Are you happy now?" he asked.
"Oh, yes!"
If you have to be on the platform for an announcement, you want to be remembered. That was not a problem. People had a good chuckle, and they looked for the hat after the service.
The mural and the Mural Man were wonderfully received as the congregation left the sanctuary. One of the first people to rush up to me was a woman who gushed, "I am so happy to finally meet you." I'm not usually greeted by anyone that happy to see me. "I can't believe that we go to the same church!" I was still a little puzzled by this reaction. "I've used your clip art at my school for years! Everybody where I worked in Houston, Texas, loves your art! I recognized your style as soon as I saw the mural!" Well, that is certainly true. If you know my cartoons, you can easily identify them when they are used legally or otherwise in all corners of the globe.
My S.N.A.C. people were thrilled to see their work on display. Family and friends gathered around to see their project. As usual, of course, everyone remembered what part of the mural they painted. So, they knew exactly what area to show their admirers. It was so very gratifying to see them so very thrilled.
My S.N.A.C. people were thrilled to see their work on display. Family and friends gathered around to see their project. As usual, of course, everyone remembered what part of the mural they painted. So, they knew exactly what area to show their admirers. It was so very gratifying to see them so very thrilled.
If someone really took the time to talk to me about the project, I shared my secret in the mural design. Since it was mural 64, I hid that number in the art. Several people looked, but only a very few actually found it. Yes, it was very well hidden and I'm quite pleased about it. Whenever anyone gives up, I happily show them. (And then, it's just so obvious.) But, a few very stubborn admirers plan to look closely next week as well. I'm happy to let the curious suffer a little longer.
Finally, a couple of unexpected encounters happened after the service. Two families with special needs children showed up for a closer look. They wanted to see the mural, but they were more interested in talking to the man behind the project. They were so pleased that people with special needs were involved in the project. I don't think it was until this moment that I realized how something like this community project was so very important to a large number of people with a wide range of unique needs. Everyone, whether special needs or not, needs a moment to shine. And, my simple cartoons and paint-by-number mural had given my S.N.A.C. family a moment to get recognition and appreciation from a very large audience. They got to shine while my heart had a warm glow.
The S.N.A.C. group assembled in front of their mural. In the other photos, members point to the areas that they painted.
P.S. One of the young men told me something about the mural experience, but I was so shocked by what he said, that I forgot exactly what he said. I had to ask him about it when we met again the following week. This young man has problems focusing his attention. Loud groups of people easily distract him. But, the bulk of the time that we painted it was this young man, his father, and the Mural Man. There was no noise. There were no distractions. He was able to focus on the project and paint without the kinds of disturbances that he usually faced. He told me, "It was the best day of my life." Now, you know why I was shocked. Now, you also know why I would like to paint another mural with this group of young people.
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