Glory House raising funds to create memorial mural park to honor longtime Laurel artist

PINE BELT, Miss. (WDAM) - Artist and muralist Mandy Buchanan is well known throughout Laurel because of the impact she made on the community.

The Glory House Co-Founder Grant Staples said Buchanan did so much for the Laurel community over the years.

“Mandy was known all over this community because she touched so many geographical areas and so many different cultural areas,” Staples said. “She was a teacher in the school system, she was a volunteer at the museum, she’s a life member of the arts league and a big part of our Day in the Park.”

Now, Staples is raising funds to build a memorial mural park in front of The Glory House. Staples said he talked to Buchanan about building the park before she died from cancer in 2022.

“It’s something she would have been all over, and after she passed, I could not think of a better way to honor her memory and her legacy,” Staples said.

The park will feature five murals in the beginning and will be a park open to the public. Staples said it will take about $15,000-$20,000 to complete the park. Artists like Mark Brown will help create the murals in the park.

“If you knew Mandy, you loved Mandy,” Brown said. “She had a way of making you feel special and I feel like I can speak for most people that knew her that she made them feel special too. She made you feel unique and individual.”

Brown said the park will be great for the area.

“Mandy’s heart was in the community working with people, working with kids, so I think it’s a wonderful tribute to her,” Brown said.

Visit The Glory House’s Facebook page to learn more about the park.

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