New mural celebrates Alabama literary giants
By Dennis Washington
January 13, 2021
Johnna Bush stands next a new mural she painted in downtown Monroeville to honor Monroe County s status as Alabama s Literary Capital. (Dennis Washington / Alabama NewsCenter)
Johnna Bush spends most of her days painting portraits, but when the Grove Hill studio artist got a call from a friend about plans for a new mural in downtown Monroeville, she stopped and listened.
“I really believed in this project because I believe what they’re telling and preserving is so important,” Bush said. “This is a wonderful teaching tool for the children.”
Monroeville Main Street asked area artists to submit ideas for two murals: one honoring Truman Capote and the other honoring his childhood friend Harper Lee and eight other writers whose work earned Monroe County the designation as Alabama’s Literary Capital. After a few weeks of thinking, reading and drawing in her head, Bush painted her suggestion