MSU research brought to life through Harned Hall student murals
Contact: Christie McNeal
STARKVILLE, Miss.—Another mural is brightening the halls of campus through a collaboration of Mississippi State’s Department of Art and the Department of Biology.
Located on Harned Hall’s ground floor near the university’s herbarium, a vibrant mural featuring native Mississippi plants and pollinators was begun by Starkville native Mary Sanders, a 2023 graduate. Under the guidance of their advisor, Professor Soon Ee Ngoh, senior art major Sarah Demus of Jackson and May 2025 art graduate Sadie “Bella” Brownlee of Louisville have spent the past year adding new artwork that seamlessly ties into Sanders’ work.
Three other murals on each floor of the building also showcase faculty research in the biology department, and the students encourage others to visit and view the murals.
“They are really beautiful, and everyone has a different style,” Demus said. “They are all detailed and unique and related to research on each specific floor, which I found interesting.”
The process for both portions of the mural each took a year—from research, sketching and planning and approvals, to gridding, mixing paint, painting, adding additional coats and finishing with lacquer. Sanders estimates there are a total of 140 hours in the work.
All the students agree one of the biggest challenges was the layout of the space. The mural is located in a narrow hallway, and the wall measures 21.6 X 6.6 feet.
Brownlee said they had to hold a short-throw projector—sometimes on their head—to sketch one grid at a time, and Demus said she struggled in the narrow hall to find a comfortable position to paint some of the elements on the lower part of the mural.
“But the result was beautiful, so it was worth it,” Demus said.
All the artists enjoyed learning more about Mississippi-native flowers and pollinators.
“A fun part of the process was trying to simplify and design them in a way that added more color, still looked beautiful and illustrative, but also in a way you could identify the flower easily,” Brownlee said, an important element to herbarium curator Ryan Folk.
“It made me feel more appreciative of nature and more aware of Mississippi's natural beauty,” Demus added. “You don’t have to go far to see beautiful plants.”
Sanders hopes murals will continue to appear on campus, giving more students the opportunity to carry out a large-scale project.
“It’s a great way for students to learn how to do research and learn how to communicate with clients,” she said.
“It was a student-led project and was up to us to schedule,” Brownlee echoed. “It was a great chance to test our skills and good preparation for thesis work, coming up with your own work and deadlines.”
Additional murals painted by Department of Art students in Harned Hall include a first-floor work by Mary Sanders of Starkville and James Karlson of Biloxi in 2022; a second-floor work by Hanna Bewley of Dallas, Texas, in 2021; and a third-floor mural by Ronni Brashear of Madison in 2019.
Learn more about MSU’s College of Architecture, Art and Design and the Department of Art at www.caad.msstate.edu.
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