One of the walls of Natchitoches’ Ben D, Johnson Center will be transformed into our city’s first full color community mural. The mural’s design was unveiled at a ceremony and community celebration on Martin Luther King Day January 17 at the Center’s Legacy Garden.
The mural will be on a wall facing the Ben D. Johnson Center’s Legacy Garden. The mural was designed by Natchitoches artist Edgar Cano, a prominent local artist and product of the master’s degree program in art at NSU. The mural incorporates elements of life in the city as well as an agricultural theme. There will be several “Paint Days” coming up in which community members will be invited to come to the center to help complete the mural. This will be a wonderful opportunity to help create what will become a lasting contribution to our city.
The Legacy Garden is an essential part of the Ben D. Johnson Center’s mission. It serves as a community garden. Produce grown there is distributed to the community and is also used in the center’s renowned Legacy Café. In addition to being a superb restaurant and catering service, the café is used in the center’s workforce development program. Ben D. Johnson Center board members Ronald Helaire and NSU President Marcus Jones both spoke at the mural’s unveiling. The Sisters of Natchitoches’ chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority donated $500.00 to the center to further its mission. A large contingent of NSU students came to the unveiling and worked in the garden afterwards.
The Ben D. Johnson Center is a force for good in our city. The center embodies the Jewish concept of Tikkun Olam or “Repair of the world”. The Natchitoches Parish Journal extends its best wishes to the Ben D. Johnson Center and is looking forward to upcoming “Paint Days”!
