Why Shreveport’s Millennium Moon Mural Stands the Test of Time

If there's a downside to living somewhere for a long period of time, it's that we sometimes take some of the special things we have in our community for granted. In Shreveport, we have some truly amazing things - whether you're talking about the American Rose Center, Sci-Port, the Norton Art Gallery, or whatever. Once the 'new' wears off, we sometimes forget just how special these things are - they just becomes something we drive past on our way to work.

Which leads me to the 'Once in a Millennium Moon' mural located on the rear of the AT&T building at the intersection of Cotton and Marshall Streets in downtown Shreveport.

I couldn't tell you how many times I've driven past that thing in the last 20+ years, and generally speaking, I don't put much thought into it. But today, for whatever reason, it really caught my attention. And I got to thinking "I wonder how much paint they used on that thing?" and "How big is it, really?". As big and beautiful as it is, when you really start looking at the numbers, you can really start to appreciate how impressive of an undertaking it really was.

The History of the Once in a Millennium Moon Mural

Before we dive into the massive undertaking it was to create this beautiful monster, you kind of have to understand it's history. According to the artist and numerous other sources, this is one of the largest publicly funded murals in the country. And not just that, for the time, the artist Meg Saligman had to devise a new method to get this project done in a reasonable amount of time (we'll get to more on that in a second).

To understand why it was created, we have to go back to 1999. A new millennium was on the horizon, as was a panic that something bad might happen thanks to Y2K. The Shreveport Regional Arts Council, in light of the new era dawning, wanted to create what basically amounted to a love letter to our community - where we've been, where we are and where we're going. So, the city pitched in $150k. The Hollywood Casino pledged $100k. Several other businesses offered various services to make the project happen.

And over the next 2 years, Meg Saligman and the Shreveport community came together to create magic.

The Creation of the Millennium Moon Mural in Shreveport

Ideas are one thing. Executing a project of this scale is something else entirely. The mural is 12 stories tall and over 30,000 square feet. According to the artist's website, Meg "devised a method, now an industry standard, that allowed 2500 community members to participate in its creation."

Basically, in true Louisiana fashion, for 2 years we threw a party and people showed up to help create this gorgeous (and massive) piece of art. Think of it like a massive "paint by numbers" project that involved a large portion of the community. Here's what Meg had to say about the whole process:

Almost 3,000 people came together for Louisiana-style Paint Days, which were more like a festival or a party. My work on ‘Once in a Millennium Moon’ impacted my process, impacted the scale of my future work, and forever altered the way I interacted with communities

So, while Meg may have been the mastermind with the vision, the whole community banded together to make it a reality.

Millennium Moon Mural in Shreveport By The Numbers

I get it. The process and the history is cool and all...but you asked the questions I really want to know at the beginning of this story: "How big is it?" and "How much paint does it take for something like that?".

Well, here's your answer. According to an article on 64 Parishes, here's the stat line on the 'Once in a Millennium Moon' mural. According to them, it took over 50,000 brush strokes, 1,500 gallons of paint, 2,500 paint cloths, 2,600 community painters, 4,000 community collaborators, and 165 public events.

That's a LOT of paint, time and effort.

What Does the Millennium Moon Mural Mean?

Again, when you drive past something every day for nearly 25 years, it's easy to forget just how beautiful something is or what it represents. As with any piece of art, it's up for interpretation. However, it's sort of a celebration of the circle of life in Shreveport - where we've been, where we are and where we're going. In fact, you can count 19 people in the piece, ranging in age from 3 months to 80 years old, all in the act of doing or showing something relevant to our area.

The Shreveport-Bossier Convention and Tourist Bureau describes the work as a 'unique and monumental time capsule capturing the essence of the people of Shreveport, their treasures, tragedies, and triumphs.' The artist, Meg Saligman, says her creation was, 'Painted for the new millennium, it portrays the cycles of life in a Louisiana context.'

Regardless of what it means, it is beautiful. And it is big - just to reiterate, this thing is over 12 stories tall and covers more than 30,000 square feet.

Even in the condensed history contained in this post, I hope you realize just how much time, effort, money, and love went into making this vision a reality. Not just from the artist, but from the Shreveport community as a whole.