#97 The Student's Progress

"The Student's Progress" mural is located in the lobby of Old Cabell Hall.

In 1996, the University commissioned the painter Lincoln Perry to create a mural for this lobby’s walls. Perry's first eleven panels, which he titled The Student's Progress, follow the misadventures of Shannon, a red-haired, violin-playing undergraduate who attends classes and parties, pursues her music, and finally gets her degree. At one point she turns her ankle and drops her violin. “The idea,” according to the artist, “is that somehow or other she’s not waltzing down the Lawn in majesty. She's fighting.” After completing his work in 2000, Perry started up again in 2005, this time depicting Shannon's post-graduation life, as she becomes a professor, raises a family, and sees her daughter attend the University. The new panels were completed in 2012.