Shannon Kirkpatrick recently painted a mural along Main Street in the village of North Syracuse for her Girl Scout Gold Award project. She shares some of her thoughts on the project below.

Why a mural? Because art is a way we can bring people together. I had an idea that I could use my love for art to add something to the community around me — and I could accomplish this by painting a mural. What’s more, this would give me the opportunity to acknowledge the unique history of the Syracuse area, which is why I included a trolley, the plank road and Sweetheart Corner. The mural project started as a Girl Scout Gold Award, but now that it’s finished, it’s become much more than that. The mural was a way to express my community’s history and add to the color of the town.

I started laying out the composition in the spring of 2017. After planning, designing and coordinating the project on and off for about a year, a start date was set. On Aug. 16, along with the help of several artists and volunteers, the first brush was dipped in paint. A little less than a month later, on Sept. 8, the last of the final touches were done. This project has taught me so much about communication, leadership and design. I’m sure anyone who helped with the project will agree that it was a challenge. But without facing the obstacles head-on, we wouldn’t have felt so proud of the final result.

I dedicate the mural to the village of North Syracuse. The people serving on the village board have helped make this happen by showing constant support from the beginning, and the community has shown so much support and gratitude. The mural is dedicated to all those who set their goals and achieve them, to the future mural painters and artists of this world, making communities like ours more vibrant one step at a time.