Judicial Center Murals

While the Franklin County Judicial Center was under construction, the Council for the Arts approached county leadership with a proposal to provide artwork for the halls and offices of the new building. Since then, the project grew both in size and scope into a community art project to create two two-story murals that depict the essence of Franklin County. Dozens of artists and photographers from across Franklin County contributed to the project, which took 27 months to complete from its initial conception in February 2021 through the murals’ installation in June 2023.

“These murals offer a great visual representation of the spirit of Franklin County and will highlight the very best of our communities to all who enter the Judicial Center for decades to come. Both of these larger-than-life pieces also showcase the extraordinary talents of Franklin County’s art community. We are grateful to The Council for the Arts and all of those individuals who lent their time and talents to create such meaningful works of art.” ~Dave Keller, Franklin County Commissioner Chairman 

The Self-Help Center Mural design flows across five pieces of cabinet grade oak boards with a height of 23 feet and width of 6 ½ feet. The main designs are centered on each of these boards with transitions of leaves, sky, fruit and water. Each of the mural’s five panels has a distinct theme, but together they form one cohesive design that tells the story of Franklin County’s history, culture, agriculture, and industrial and manufacturing heritage. The scenes depicted on the panels were created from a series of photographs, drawings and paintings provided by local artists and members of the Franklin County Photography Club.

Painting of the Self-Help Center Mural began in May 2022 and continued through the end of July. The Council for the Arts was open four days a week, Wednesdays through Saturdays, providing painters the opportunity to work. Individual artists were responsible for distinct elements of the five main panels, but many of the artists put their brush to other parts of the painting as needed.

Below are the five finished panels of the Self-Help Center Mural on the right arranged the same as the finished mural from top to bottom. Scrolling down, the panel on the left provides snapshots of various points in the painting process for each panel.

While the artists were painting the first mural, the design process for the 24 foot tall by 12 foot wide Atrium Mural began in May 2022. During the initial call for art, Heidi O’Toole, an artist from Waynesboro, sent a watercolor sketch of the historic courthouse superimposed on the map of Franklin County. That was the spark for the design of the larger mural; it became the center point of the design. This central feature is surrounded by two abstract motifs developed by Andrea Finch to fill the full height of the mural. A skyline silhouette of prominent structures located in municipalities throughout Franklin County, repeated in three sizes across the bottom of the mural, resembles the flames that burned the courthouse in 1864. At the top of the piece is a repetitive circular crosshair design inspired by stonework, believed to be remnants from the torched courthouse, that were uncovered by construction crews during the most recent courthouse renovations.

Below is a slideshow of the process to create the Atrium Mural. Click the arrow at the right to navigate through the images.

At the end of March, the creative team, including many of the artists who painted the murals, walked the murals from the Council for the Arts down the block to the Judicial Center to view the artwork in the space. They were laid out on the floor of the Atrium for viewing by the Franklin County Commissioners, county staff and artists. The work had been done close up and getting a distant view was very difficult in the tight quarters of the Council For The Arts. This was the first time the team had a chance to see the murals pieced together from afar.

Between the end of March and the end of May 2023, the Council for the Arts and county staff coordinated details to hang the murals. The Atrium Mural was hung much like wallpaper and then given a matte top coat to seal it. The oak panels of the Self-Help Center Mural were screwed into place. Installation of the two murals was completed in early June 2023.

The Atrium Mural is located in the main lobby of the Judicial Center. The Self-Help Center Mural is located just past security and to the right in the self-help center.