Students and staff celebrated the unveiling of the University of North Georgia’s Gainesville Department of Visual Arts’ newest mural, “Face the Strange,” on Aug. 26.
The department celebrated the achievement of eight students, who worked under the guidance of Vivian Liddell, an associate professor within the Visual Arts department. The course included elements of revision and execution over an eight-week period.
Both President Mike Shannon and Liddell spoke on the craft of the mural and its connection with the UNG community.
“The communications team approached us with some themes,” Liddell said. “One of them being ‘Face the Strange,’ which, as he pointed out, is from David Bowie. And it’s also what we do as an artist.”
The students used a multitude of different techniques to complete the mural, including glazing, underpaintings and layering. Each artist had an area they focused on during the mural project, allowing them to each showcase their specific style and talents.
“The arts are something that brings us together. Ultimately, that changes us and it changes our perspective, whether it’s through song or whether it’s through stories.” – Mike Shannon, President of the University of North Georgia
The artists spent approximately 64 hours collaborating, designing and executing their design for the class period. The artists completed the mural over eight classes, working from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. for a collective 32 hours.
“I mostly focused on color correction,” said Tim Noel, a senior digital art student. “It was pretty patchy for the oranges and reds and blues, so I was going back in and fixing all of that, and then I also was putting down the base coats in the crème.”
This is the fourth mural painting class Professor Liddell has taught at UNG, with her more recent accomplishment being the 375-foot mural above the Library Promenade on the Dahlonega campus during the Spring 2025 semester.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony also took place, officially opening the mural to the public. Family members were able to join their students for a large group photo in front of the mural at the end of the event.
