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.
Cleinmann’s mural displays multiple generations of Black women, a manifestation of Biggers’ teachings about their importance. The mural is one of the few unfinished murals in Hannah Hall. Typically, unfinished murals were painted over. The mural was recently restored by conservators.
This is a universal scene of the despair and struggle facing a group determined to survive. The lone tree in the moonlight starkly symbolizes the darkness surrounding the scene (center left panel), while the tree rising from a swamp (leftmost panel) suggests hope with the bird, butterfly, and waterlily indicating transformative beauty.
Jones’ surrealistic mural depicts bald, cyclops-like men conducting a television broadcast. Jones incorporated architecture into the design by using a window, since painted over, as the camera’s lens. A man beneath the camera carries a torch with a strong, flowing flame.
Oliver’s mural contains an homage to Frederic Leighton’s Flaming June. The central figure is surrounded by vast, flowing patterns of deep red, reddish-brown, pink, and aqua, in the midst of which two figures seem to struggle against the energized space, while the female figure remains in deep sleep.
Portraying the brutality of war in the mid-twentieth century, McCowan, a veteran, integrates the wall’s architectural elements (a fire hose and extinguisher) to highlight the tension of the scene. The mushroom cloud above the fire hose highlights Cold War-era anxieties.
A full church choir sings passionately. Hatter chose this location to make use of the rectangular shape of the doorway, suggesting the arrangement of a choir standing on risers. The exit sign, which was previously embedded on the wall, cast rays of light across the choir members’ faces.
Mass depicts scenes of family life, including a gathering at the dinner table and church services. The laborer at the far right suggests the role of physical work in sustaining the Black family. As in other murals, architectural elements from Hannah Hall are incorporated in this mural.
Burley’s vibrant mural explores cycles of life and focuses on women. The left conveys night and includes a female constellation. The right shows daytime, with plants and animals. A rainbow runs across, signifying unity. The large, detailed hand is a frequent motif in the art of Biggers’ students.
The right section reflects the tenet of “policing the police.” The officers’ stance is eerily similar to Derek Chauvin’s murder of George Floyd and the fire extinguisher underscores the scene’s violence. The left speaks to racialized beauty standards and “Black is Beautiful” messaging of the 1960s and 70s.
Gordon’s mural examines her own life and personal development. A wispy fabric running through the mural serves as a metaphor for her emerging self-awareness; this motif is found in some of her other works. Gordon’s mural showcases herself working on several art projects from her undergraduate period.
Lacy’s mural depicts houses from a variety of different civilizations and cultures, ranging from small circular huts to step pyramids. The center structure is a depiction of the terracotta sculpture she created under the instruction of Professor Carroll Harris Simms.
Taylor offers a snapshot of Houston’s Third Ward in the mid-20th century. Growing up in Third Ward, Taylor saw it grow and change. The scene is a busy one and depicts various storefronts and residents of the neighborhood. Taylor named the pool hall in the lower left corner after himself.
