New Mural In Progress On Tech’s Campus

A Tennessee Tech alum painting a brand-new mural to honor the one-hundred year anniversary of the university’s mascot, the golden eagle.

Painter Abby Ramaker said the piece will feature four golden eagles representing the story that originally inspired Tech’s mascot. Ramaker said she is including goldenrod and ironweed to represent the school’s colors as well as Burgess Falls and rock climbers to highlight the local environment.

“It’s the biggest project I’ve every worked on,” Ramaker said. “And (I) think it’s one where I’m excited to get to bring in more realistic things with more abstract things together. I think it makes it more of a contemporary kind of mural, and that’s something I’m looking forward to.”

The new mural will be located on a retaining wall next to the Roaden University Center. Ramaker said most of the mural has already been painted and she is working on an additional detail layer now.

“Usually decisions for murals are kind of made on what’s a really good wall space and this is a good outdoor wall space,” Ramaker said. “So I think that they thought it would be a good space for it and I think it is, too.”

Ramaker said she has been painting murals for several years but her very first one was done on campus while she was attending Tech. Ramaker said the whole piece should be completed within the next year.

“Kind of depends on weather and how many freezing temperatures and things like that,” Ramaker said “I can’t work in anything below forty. My paint will not really work.”

Ramaker said she designed the piece with help from her partner, Millie Hall. Ramaker said Tech told her what was to be included and she drew up a plan and designed it with Hall from there.

“It’s a big honor to get to work for Tennessee Tech,” Ramaker said. “It’s a great school and there are a lot of great teachers here.”