VGCC art classes provide mural for Granville Senior Center


Nancy Pittard of Oxford (seated) puts finishing touches on part of the mural being created by her VGCC art class for the Granville County Senior Center, while instructor Lelia Brigham (standing) looks on. (VGCC photo)

Students in two Personal Enrichment Art classes at Vance-Granville Community College recently completed work on a mural that will decorate the Granville County Senior Center. Twelve students in a day class and nine others in a night class, both taught by longtime instructor Lelia Brigham, have each contributed to the four-by-six-foot quilt-like mural. “It’s one of the most original ‘quilts’ I’ve ever seen,” Brigham said. “Each artist chose his or her own subject, design and style, so it’s very colorful and allows for each student’s personality to come through.” All paintings are acrylic, with a mix of still life and landscapes, including a tobacco barn that evokes the Granville-area countryside. A depiction of a clothesline behind a house and a close-up of a horse’s eye can also be spotted among the 20 rectangles that make up the mural.

Brigham said that students in her classes hail from Vance, Granville, Franklin, Durham and Wake counties.

“We are so excited that Mrs. Brigham’s class is creating this piece of art for the Senior Center, and it’s especially fun for us to have something that local people had a hand in making,” said Granville County Senior Services Director Kathy May. She explained how the mural came about: “When we moved into our new, temporary location in Oxford, we found the walls to be quite bare, but then we came across a donated canvas. [Oxford resident and local artist] Nancy Pittard took that canvas to her fellow students in the VGCC painting class, and suggested they take it on as a project. The result is going to be a beautiful addition to our senior center!” The Granville County Senior Center, where the piece created by VGCC students will be installed, is currently located at 119 Hilltop Village in Oxford.  

Many of VGCC’s personal enrichment courses are project-oriented and are offered during the day and evening. Opportunities include, but are not limited to, painting, quilting, cake decorating, and beekeeping. For more information on upcoming classes, contact Theresa Somerville at (252) 738-3427 or somervillet@vgcc.edu.