Painted over five weeks in the summer of 2016, artist David Guinn worked from a small painting on paper, Guinn transferred the design using a grid technique. The mural was inspired by Poet Laureate Rita Dove’s poem, “Testimonial”. The poem was chosen by Dove and Guinn because of the positive message that both UVA students and the community may find inspiring. The abstract, elemental shapes and sweeping brushstrokes of the design reflect the opening lines of the poem, ‘Back when the earth was new and heaven just a whisper.’ Read Rita Dove’s Poem “Testimonial” here and see more from David Guinn here.