Peace, Love, Library: Birchum enhances Meridian Public Library wall, bringing it to life with colorful mural blending farm & country life

MERIDIAN – Back in November 2024, the Meridian Public Library moved to their new, larger location on 204 N. Main Street in Meridian. Everything in the building from the walls to the furniture and bookshelves is bright, new and clean. But the board felt that the one large expanse of wall behind in the children’s section needed some color, some interest, something inviting for the youth and their caregivers.

And with just some children’s books Library Staff Marianne Woerner and Andy Williams had picked out as inspiration and a clean slate, artist Shannon Birchum from Clifton went to work, designing, planning and executing the 17 by seven-foot mural.

“It was a good challenge to create this mural from scratch,” Shannon said. “And I saw an open book with fun characters coming to life.”

Going from the front of the building with images for the toddlers, taken from the nursery rhyme “Hey Diddle, Diddle,” the mural blends into farm and country life appealing to preschoolers, and finally to castles and dragons inspired by the book series “Wings of Fire,” and the adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

As Birchum was painting in the library – for her inspiring environment – children would ask her questions about the mural. Many were drawn to the imaginary world of dragons and castles. A super hero figure in the center of the mural calls reading a superpower, which puzzled one young visitor.

Birchum was able to explain, that books offer infinite worlds to explore. And pointed out the mural calls out to explore, imagine and go on an adventure. Because after all, quoting the incredible Dr. Seuss “The more you read, the more you know. The more you learn, the more places you’ll go.”

“That’s why we read, to experience adventure, to explore new horizons and to imagine new things, taking you places you’ve never been,” Birchum said.

And because of that, the young man decided reading really was a super power if it allowed you to do all that, just from the comfort of a cozy chair.

Also in the center is a compass, an object Birchum has always been drawn to – she loves to collect them at garage sales – a symbol of not losing sight of True North, knowing where you’re going and staying true to yourself on life’s journey.

The large, multicolored patchwork reading chair in the children’s corner served as Birchum’s color guideline; opting for a more muted, mid-century modern color palette.

The original black and white sketch is available for the children visiting the library to color in their own color palette.

Hidden away in the mural are tiny, hidden treasures. It’s fun to see if you can find them all – two lady bugs, a pencil, a spider, a coin and a lizard. And after they’ve found all the hidden gems, the youth can check out the “I Spy” book series that invites them to search for hidden objects.

“Every day we have children and adults coming in, just amazed at the mural,” Woerner said. “The children run up to it pointing out all the different animals on the mural. And they’re so excited when they find the hidden gems.

“It’s just such an amazing piece of art for those who work in the library too. We also find something new to look at every day, and it brightens our day.”

While a big, white expanse of wall could be intimidating, Birchum takes such a large scale project one step at a time, from projecting her original drawing onto the wall grid, to doing the background, to painting the figures one at a time, adding and tweaking as she goes along, to the final touch ups and signing. Like all artists, Birchum feels a work can always be improved, but as soon as she signs a work, it is done in her mind, and she steps away from it.

“I’m very happy with the result,” Birchum said. “It was a good challenge.”

Be sure to check out this incredible, gigantic piece of artwork at the Meridian Public Library, and come to support them at their annual Jewels and Jeans Fundraiser March 29. Tickets are on sale now.

For Birchum, this mural was the first of 2025, but she has a couple more lined up, starting with a baby room. People might recognize her work on the side of the former Mazie Grace and Bramble & Vine in Clifton.

Born to two creative parents who passed on the artist-gene to Birchum, art was her favorite subject in school. After high school, the budding artist studied commercial art and advertising and became a sign painter in Waco and taught children’s art for over 30 years.

She brings her art teacher skills to the Bosque Arts Center for summer camp Imagination Factory, a collage and basic drawing class. Under the name “Kaleidoscope,” Birchum displays her many creative outlets – cloth, leather, jewelry, acrylic, pen and ink, water color, collage – in the Bosque Arts Center’s Atrium gallery in May.

“Like my art, the elements in a kaleidoscope are constantly changing,” multi-facetted Birchum said.

Photos by SIMONE WICHERS-VOSS

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