Selma art teacher, students helping to design downtown mural

SELMA, Ala. (WSFA) – The research done in Shirley Bennett’s classroom will fuel the artwork of the future in Selma.

Bennett and her students at Selma High School are digging through the city’s history to find people, places, locations that could be depicted in an upcoming mural.

“We have partnered with the city of Selma, Selma City Schools, Arts Revive, and what they’re doing is creating a mural that will depict the history of Selma from 1820, from its founding to the present day,” Bennett said.

The mural is set to be completed in May on Broad Street in downtown Selma near the Welcome Center. Several schools are participating and will submit ideas to local artists, then draft the final masterpiece.

“So, we have a final artist that’s going to come, take all of those images downtown, once it’s drafted, the students will go downtown and paint their portion,” Bennett added.

For her class, it’s about playing a role in a piece of art and history that will live forever in downtown Selma. She’s been teaching visual art for 30 plus years now and said this mural is a remarkable project.

“I’ve been telling my students that hundreds of thousands of people who come through our town will see that. They’re going to see their work,” she said.

Bennett says it’s all about creating these moments and memories with her students, one piece of artwork at a time, making her a true Class Act.

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