From Left to Right:

Crowders Mountain’s textures and colors cascade into the background, alluding to the viewers journey further west on Franklin Boulevard where the popular Mountain boasts a state park and serves as Gastonia’s natural skyline. Yellow behind the mountain implies the dawning a new, sunrise.

Hands pour honey from a ceramic vessel in front of the rising sun, an act of offering. The ceramic vessel is a nod to the red clayware that is native to the southeast, and to the artist’s grandfather, local potter, Jack Sexton. The honey flows into the future, mimicking the shape of rapid water (perhaps it is symbolic of the Catawba River) and growth that occurs with hydration.

Behind the hands, an eye in the distance “cries” the honey, a way of remembering that hard work produces growth and a tribute to citizens long gone whose hands and labor we profited from.

The large bee, the boldest graphic symbol in the mural, invites viewers to become “pollinators” by creating goodwill and positive change.

Honey flows from the ceramic vessel into hexagonal honeycomb shapes, referring to the importance of the bees and other pollinators that circle the top of the building directing viewers to the mural’s symbol key near the parking lot.

The globe symbolizes the current and future international connections of Gaston County, including Gastonia’s two sister cities: Gotha, Germany and Santiago de Surco, Peru.

The honeycomb flows into a colorful patchwork quilt, which has a rich Southern history and emphasizes the role of family traditions and the importance of women’s work through the generations.

Above the patchwork are five candles lighting the way towards our future. When viewed from the central grassy area, the candles illuminate the faces of children in the above mural; when viewed from the road, the candles align with the candle being held by the older woman, honoring her long, caring life. The number 5 references the five interpersonal relationships that the United Way fosters for health: between the individual, the family, the school, the institution, and the community.
In the Native American sacred practice of numerology, the number “5” is

the number of humanity and refers to the fact that humans have five fingers, five toes, five appendages (if the head is included), five senses, and five major systems of the body.

Next to the candles and above the patchwork quilt are three concentric circles. The first contains a Catawba Chief, regal in his headdress as he claims space in the sky, inviting us to remember whose land we are on. Next to him, is a pinky promise, an intimate child-like symbol of connection representing trust, relationship and honor. Then, a laughing child, who looks towards the future full of hope.

The patchwork quilt fades from moving waters into a rippling pond where a koi fish  swims towards the future. Koi fish, a protected species, live to be incredibly old and are often written into the will of their owners. Hanako, the oldest living koi fish ever recorded, died at 226 years old. The artist’s grandmother, Gaston County resident Kumiko Maeda Sexton, (pictured in the upper mural) was from Hokkaido, Japan and came to America where she worked for the Pharr and Carstarphen families of McAdenville for many, many years.

Koi fish scales, used to determine how old the animal is, are similar to counting the rings of a tree. The image below the patchwork quilt can be interpreted as rings on a tree, and like a fingerprint, celebrates the unique qualities of every individual.

Under the rings, cotton grows in front of a setting sun. The final flow of the honey ends as the rippled waters extend into a DNA sequence. We are moving toward the future supported by scientific discoveries that emphasize alike and how different we each are.

The three growing seeds are a sacred metaphor for birth, life and breaking open. As Gaston County grows and changes, what we may see now as destruction may actually be a rejuvenation.

To the right, as the mural tapers off from what is visible to vehicles driving by, a beautiful sun is setting, with more hexagonal shapes used for student art input.