Visitors to RC’s Lounge in the University of Southern Mississippi’s University Union will get any eyeful when they see the colorful mural gracing the lounge’s east side windows, the handiwork of art students Elizabeth Maloy and Eric Huckabee.

Huckabee, a senior from Waveland, and Maloy, a junior from Long Beach, are creating a multi-hued composition that includes the lounge’s orange, green and purple colors, along with shapes from some of its architectural elements. Once completed, it will cover 250 square feet of window space, greeting passersby in the adjoining east corridor.

The students took on the project at the request of the Union Advisory Board and its adviser, associate director of Union and Programs Fran Jones, as part of a plan to accentuate the lounge with artwork.

“We wanted something contemporary, something that went along with the feel of the room,” Jones said.

RC’s Lounge is used as a student gathering center and for events and private functions. It is located next to the Union’s game room.

Huckabee, a photojournalism and painting major, said the project is not without its challenges, the biggest being its glass canvas. “It’s not porous, so that makes it technically more challenging, especially trying to make crisp edges. But without the challenges it would be boring,” he said. 

“We had an original plan, but it doesn’t always work out exactly as you imagined it in the beginning,” he said. “You have to let the work control itself. The work will tell you where it needs to go.”

Maloy, a Presidential Scholar who serves as editor of the university’s yearbook, was part of a team from Southern Miss that won a Student Gold ADDY Award in May. Huckabee is the recipient of the department’s Roger Brinegar Endowed Scholarship and his work has been featured at student art shows at the university.

“They’re both outstanding students,” said Susan Fitzsimmons, chair of the Southern Miss Department of Art and Design.

Maloy and Huckabee relish the opportunity to give back to the university, which they credit for giving them opportunities and direction for the future. “There’s not many places where you would get this kind of opportunity as a student,” Huckabee said of the project.

Both hope the mural will liven up the lounge and make it a popular University Union landmark. “I just want people to enjoy it,” Maloy said. “Hopefully everyone who sees it will smile.”

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 University of Southern Mississippi students Eric Huckabee, left, of Waveland and Elizabeth Maloy of Long Beach work on a mural in RC’s Lounge in the University of Southern Mississippi Union. (Southern Miss Marketing and Public Relations photo by David Tisdale)
   
About The University of Southern Mississippi
The University of Southern Mississippi, founded in 1910, is a comprehensive doctoral and research-extensive university fulfilling its mission of being a leading university in engaging and empowering individuals to transform lives and communities.  In a tradition of leadership for student development, Southern Miss is educating a 21st century work force providing intellectual capital, cultural enrichment and innovation to Mississippi and the world.  Southern Miss is located in Hattiesburg, Miss., with an additional campus and teaching and research sites on the Mississippi Gulf Coast; further information is found at www.usm.edu.