The Hannah Hall murals include more than 80 student murals painted on the walls of Texas Southern University's second-oldest building, a selection of which is featured in this collection. Created between 1951 and 2013, the murals cover a wide variety of subjects, including the Civil Rights Movement, Black power, religion, rural life in Texas, fantasy, and more. The mural program was created by Dr. John T. Biggers, founder of Texas Southern's art department.
Evans’ mural features a self-portrait of the artist below the muscular arms of two angels. Above, an open book radiates light onto the setting. Evans is a founding member of Otabenga Jones & Associates, an artists’ collective founded by four former TSU students.
Michaux, a war veteran, was given the opportunity by Dr. Biggers to paint this mural during his first year as an art major. Reflecting on the devastation of the then-recent World War II, the mural depicts terror, hunger, and human compassion.
In this mural, Mother Nature is attacked by oil derricks, pollution, and industrialization. Jones painted this work as a response to the rapid expansion of oil drilling throughout Texas. Jones still engages with nature, now creating wood carvings from fallen timber after Galveston storms.
Charoennimuang’s Hannah Hall mural draws inspiration from her birth country, Thailand. In her own words, it “is a Thai style mural-painting that expresses the love of two human beings…surrounded by the beauty of nature…. The man and woman are dressed up in Thai-style like the old days…neatly weaved and knitted in a Thai pattern…made of Thai silk.” The study for this mural included a dragon in the upper right corner that was cut from the final design.
Washington’s mural is a timeline of Black education. On the left, he depicts slavery and lynching above enslaved people secretly reading. In the center, students write “Emancipation Proclamation” and Booker T. Washington delivers his "Atlanta Compromise" speech. The right depicts emerging Black professionals.
A commentary on the conflict between technology and progress, history and culture, Davis painted this mural in response to the destruction of several Hannah Hall murals to create windows into a new computer lab. Davis’ own mural was later damaged by subsequent construction, as foreseen in its design.
Focusing on the Sterling Student Life Center, the artist captures the lively activities of students and reflects the importance of Black fraternities and sororities in HBCU student life. Realism is paired with the surreal imagery of fantastic figures dancing around the music blasting from a boombox.
Oliver's mural reflects his classical painting style in a composition that shows Black men struggling to lift up an imposing weight above them, represented by the closed window on the wall. The mural appears to have been painted over an older design, as can be seen in the lower right section.
McNeil creates a scene of Black spirituality and worship, surrounding images of Black men with the traditional symbols of the cross, the lamb, the dove, and the wine of communion. Placing two of the figures against stained glass windows yields a direct connection with the interior of the Black church.
The mural centers an image of Mother Nature as a Black woman. In the foreground of the center panel, the artist stands in front of the towering female figure. On either side of Turner, men are weighed down by heavy irons. On the right, an embryo is gestating in a womb within a gear.
Thomas’ mural depicts an abstracted circus scene. In the center, three clowns, perhaps self-portraits, dressed in collars and muted colors, look seriously towards the viewer. The figures’ contemplative expressions stand in sharp contrast to their dress and profession.
Goffney's intricate mural suggests themes of scientific discovery, fluid energy, and mid-century lifestyles. Scenes of nightlife and a rural church are featured on the right. Goffney signed his last name as Goeenet, perhaps his artist name.
Royal’s mural illustrates the desegregation of public schools following Brown v. Board of Education (1954). In the center of the scene is attorney and future Supreme Court justice Thurgood Marshall, with Black students entering integrated schools. At the far left is Chief Justice Earl Warren.
This mural was painted by one of the many Asian students who enrolled in Texas Southern during the 1980s. A wooden ship with sails is seen in contrast with a modern airplane on the right side. On the left, a tower suggestive of a pagoda imbues a sense of history and culture.
The mural captures the emotion and creative environment of a mid-20th century jazz club. Heliton chose a corner spot for his mural, which lends a sense of depth to the piece. The overlapping of patterns, portraits, and instruments suggests the intimacy of a small club interior.
This mural reflects themes of emancipation and progress. The figure of a Black man raises his fist, while broken chains dangle from his waist. The bales of cotton and chains allude to slavery. Black men in various professions represent changes brought by emancipation.
The red and orange-hued apocalyptic scene shows the moments after an explosion. In the middle, a dying woman’s soul leaves her body. The mural appears to have been left unfinished, as the baby, one hand, and parts of the foreground and background are not painted in.
Samples’ mural unfolds like a dream, with each panel above the sleeping artist revealing a constellation of scenes from the artist’s youth. Lower window panels evoke a harmonious existence with nature and animals, while upper panels reveal struggles with racism in the South and his mother’s death.
Ross’s mural represents Black rural life in the early to mid twentieth century. The composition highlights the gendered division of labor, and how women’s work focuses on maintaining the home. Ross grew up in Huntsville, Texas, and this scene may represent his background and experiences.
A native of New Orleans, Green transferred to TSU’s art program following Hurricane Katrina. His mural ties different aspects of New Orleans history and culture together through floodwaters. Enslaved ancestors stand at auction, and the city skyline, including the Superdome, is featured prominently.
Lloyd’s scene closely focuses on three faces wracked with strong feelings. In the foreground, an angry man reaches out, while the middle figure turns completely inward, and the far right figure is deep in thought. These emotions are heightened by the dark hues in the composition.
Mills’s mural depicts a nation in turmoil, with scenes of racial violence, and pushback by Black protestors. A figure lifts the American flag to reveal white supremacy. On the right side, Stokely Carmichael’s face bursts through the flag, alluding to the 1967 TSU Invasion. During the invasion, 488 TSU students were arrested and Houston Police fired almost 5000 bullets into the men's dormitory.
The artist boldly tackles the often stereotypical image of the watermelon while depicting the hypocrisy of organized religion in the Black community and the constant threat of the Klan. The large, reaching hands pull at a recent graduate, whose face is obscured by the watermelon they are holding.
Ellison’s pair of murals speaks to political and social issues of the 1960s and 1970s. The murals express hope through resistance, in spite of the challenges facing Black America. In the middle, a bald eagle holds a broken lynch rope in its beak and “the law” in its talons.
The only Hannah Hall mural in a pointillist style, it was partly destroyed during renovations. Edwards returned to repaint it. Perhaps because of the time demands of the pointillist technique, the repainted left side is less detailed than the right. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph are painted in abstract forms.
Set against a background of shotgun houses, Black people engage in a struggle to break free from chains and physical limitations. Extreme musculature and angel wings suggest supernatural strengths. A motif in Settles’ work is the power and beauty of Black hair.
In a triptych style, Williams’ mural shows three central themes: a family gathered around a newborn (religion), seated near a hearth (home), and working together in the fields (labor). Black rural life is a major subject in the Hannah Hall murals.
The mural shows fishing life along the water. In the middle and on the right, a man is doubled over from his burden, while a group of fishermen brings their catch to shore. On the left, an elderly man and other figures suggest the trials and challenges of the ancestors.
Sifuentes shows multiple generations of a family, painted in a geometric style. Sifuentes borrows visual symbols from his teacher, Dr. Biggers, including the tortoise (longevity) and the serpent (danger and rebirth). Guardian ancestors are represented by figures with angel wings.
The graphic strength of Oliver's portraits is clearly evident in these two panels. By limiting his palette to black and white, the artist underscores the powerful gazes of the figures. Because of his enthusiasm and talent, Oliver was allowed to create additional murals when empty spaces were available.
