RADCLIFF, Ky. (AP) - When Kate Bateman received a call late last fall from Radcliff business owner Terry Shortt, she was told he had a “little” project he wanted to discuss with her.
This spring, that “little” project began taking shape, with help from North Hardin High School art students, as a mural on a wall of the Asian Buffet in Radcliff welcoming those traveling from Fort Knox on Wilson Road. The group began painting in May.
“The kids were excited to do this,” said Bateman, a retired art teacher who spent the last year at North Hardin. “Not only do they get to have their work on display for the general public to see, but some get service hours for their club.”
Each letter of the mural spelling “Radcliff” is approximately 5 feet high and 4 1/2 feet wide. Each letter represents a decade beginning in the 1940s. The whole mural reads, “The city of Radcliff welcomes you!”
In April, Bateman and others began the process of transferring the designs to the wall. She said the letters were drawn five times to get the wall prepped. The materials were donated by local businesses and Bateman volunteered her time.
Bateman said the mural was a collaborative effort with the students who contributed patterns and concepts until they decided on filling letters with designs and silhouettes indicative of a decade in the city’s history.
To complete the project, Bateman researched the city’s history and, although it was not incorporated until the 1950s, she began the mural in 1940 to include Fort Knox.
“What would make it interesting would be the humans and their clothing in the different decades,” she said. “People will be able to tell what decades each letter represents when we’re done.”
The beginning work was somewhat tedious, said junior Victoria Heeman, as students deciphered the plans and painted the patterns.
“It takes time to decide where to put the colors and fill in the little details,” she said. “After we get the first coat on, it will go a lot faster.”
Senior Jacob Jones said he was a little intimidated by the size of the mural when he first saw it, but he said the volunteers will get it done.
“I was awestruck,” he said. “I’ve never gotten to do something like this. It’s definitely a memorable part of my senior year.”
Although she had no idea what the mural’s design looked like, junior Brianna Barnes said she was impressed with all the patterns the other art students chose to represent the decades.
“When I saw the eras, I thought it was really cool,” she said. “I liked how they portrayed it.”
Art teacher Whitney Carpenter said she was somewhat overwhelmed by the size of the project, combined with a number of spring projects her classes have going on, but was really pleased so many students wanted to help. Each student will sign the wall when it’s complete.
Crystal Rivera was one of the students who wanted to help make her community more attractive and instill some pride in it.
“I can show my kids one day what I did,” she said.
Bateman said the project wouldn’t have been possible without the students and she hopes they make the necessary touch-ups to the wall as the years pass.
“I hope the community appreciates it and enjoys driving past it,” she said. “I hope it’s up for a long, long time.”
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