Three New Murals Celebrate Community in Athens

Three new public art murals have been completed at the Lay Park and Heard Park Community Centers, as well as the newly renovated historic Costa Building in downtown Athens. While distinct projects, each mural honors the community, culture and future of Athens.

At the Lay Park Community Center, Amy Patterson’s “Where It Leads” depicts the activities and amenities of the center through a large-scale, vertical mural in an impressionistic realism style. A young woman playing tennis, a girl playing basketball, a man swimming, and native Georgia trees and plants draw the eye upward to the sky. Light filters through water and tall grass, and wildflowers are present throughout, giving the composition a sense of warmth and movement. 

Patterson was selected by community center staff, volunteers and local residents during a call for art in 2025. She brings more than a decade of mural experience to the project. Other mural art by Patterson can be seen at Tweed Recording in Athens and across Georgia, and Patterson also has public art pieces across cities in the United States, Mexico and Europe, including work in communal spaces and international hostels. 

A graduate of Kennesaw State University with a BFA in drawing and painting, Patterson found their way into mural work after years in the fine art scene. They were drawn to the medium’s ability to transform a space and the people who move through it. Believing that “art deserves to be accessible, seen, and interactive within the space it’s installed in,” Patterson’s mural will now greet visitors to the Lay Park Community Center for years to come.

Selected by the Heard Park Community Center’s team and community is Allison Ward’s “The Future Floats Before Her,” a horizontal, large-scale mural depicting a young girl’s carefree moment of blowing bubbles. Within each bubble is a symbol of Athens and the community center’s resources: City Hall, a stack of books, athletics and games, music, the Tree That Owns Itself, native flowers and two hands clasped together.

Ward’s career in education inspired the piece. Ward was spending an afternoon near the Lyndon House Arts Center when she observed a young girl simply blowing bubbles. Seeing this carefree and joyful moment, Ward wondered about the girl’s future. “I thought, what’s ahead for her? You know, what’s her future going to be like? And what is it going to be like in our city that I love so much?” said Ward. The image stayed with her, becoming the emotional core of the mural’s whimsical design.

Ward has lived in Athens for about 12 years, relocating from Gwinnett County in search of a vibrant arts community. Her work as a visual artist centers on the people, landmarks and everyday moments of Athens and other Georgia scenes. She said she hopes young visitors to Heard Park will feel that connection, too, especially as the mural can be seen from the playground. “I hope they feel seen first,” Ward said. “And then I hope they just grow to love our city as much as I do, that they see the possibilities that are here for them.” A public reception is planned for May 23 at 10 a.m. at Heard Park, where visitors can meet Ward.

A third mural by Waleed Johnson is now on display on the first floor, a public space, at the Costa Building in downtown Athens. The space is an entryway to the departments of Economic Development, Housing and Community Development, and People and Belonging. Titled “A City for All,” the mural spans six interior walls and one exterior wall. Inspired by classical Greek art, the mural depicts three women figures holding symbolic items. On one wall, a woman holds a rudder and a cornucopia filled with locally grown fruits and vegetables, representing economic development and the steering of the city toward prosperity. On another, a woman holds the scales of justice with a blindfold coming off her eyes, referencing the work of the People and Belonging Department. The blindfold winds through the composition, wrapping around trees that stand tall or lean on one another, representing communities that need support being held up by those with greater stability. The central figure holds a torch modeled on the “Spirit of Athens” sculpture outside of City Hall, lighting the way toward a brighter future. The exterior wall features statues similar to the Caryatids of the Erechtheion on the Acropolis that uphold the values depicted inside.

Johnson drew inspiration from Athens’ identity as the “Classic City,” and wanted to connect ancient imagery to a very present-day civic mission. He also made a point to root the mural in the local community: The three exterior figures were loosely modeled after community volunteers he was introduced to during the project. “I wanted to take some classical symbols and fit that into the current context here,” Johnson said. “The thought was creating a city for all, a place where everyone can thrive.”

For more information on public art in Athens, visit accgov.com/publicart.

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