The mural’s creator, Sherbert spoke about the help she received while squiring the artwork from a small prototype drawing to vividly colorful and detailed reality:  “I'd like to thank the [Hempstead County] Leadership Class for giving me the opportunity to spread a little beauty in the world, because as an artist, I don't get that many opportunities to be given the side of a building to go at it, but it has been a fun and a wonderful experience. I never went hungry. I was never without water. [They] brought me coolers of not just water. They brought me cool water with electrolytes.

“I never got discouraged, because there was always somebody coming by, not just you guys,” she said.  She explained that a former student of her sister, who happened to be getting a haircut at nearby Beards & Shears even stopped by to offer encouragement.  Sherbert’s sister is Amber Tackett, a teacher at Yerger Middle School in Hope.

Tackett recently said, “Carrie has been creating art for as long as I can remember, and for years she taught art to the students at Malvern High School. I’ll bet every student she taught could still tell you something that they learned from her.” Tackett also provided further examples of Sherbert’s work, which are featured just below the photos from Thursday’s ribbon-cutting.

The now completed mural will not be the last creation by Sherbert to beautify Hope's downtown. She gave the news that she will be starting another work during Saturday's The Taste of Hope festivities.

Earlier in the ceremony, Hope-Hempstead County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Christy Burns spoke of the efforts of the 2025 Leadership class, a group of nine local professionals taking a seven-month course on the important economic sectors of the county which helped organize the project that culminated in the mural.

Next, Hope Mayor Don Still mentioned the founder of Hempstead County’s The Call and on this Sunday’s The Call fundraiser at local churches:  “I wish Dixie Coffee was here.  She brought this to the community and said, ‘Hey, we need to do this.’ What really makes the organization great is when it keeps going after the person steps aside and let somebody else take over.  Holly [Boyett] is taking this on. What a great asset to the community. … We have a special Sunday this Sunday where all the churches are doing fundraising.”

Boyett, chiming in, said the church fundraiser was the organization’s biggest of the year.

Mayor Still resumed, “Thank you for this beautiful addition to downtown Hope. Thank you for everything.”

The next speaker was Executive Director of The Call, Holli Boyett, who explained how the charity serves foster children and parents. “I'm the affiliate director for the Call in Hempstead, Nevada County and in Arkansas. In our home state, there's about 3,500 children who are in foster care, and there's only about 13 open homes for these children who have experienced abuse and neglect. And these aren't just kids in faraway corners of the state. These are Hempstead County kids and Hope teenagers and Spring Hill babies. So we are so grateful for the Leadership Class taking on this project and helping us raise awareness of all of the needs surrounding foster care right here at home.”

The building whose exterior was used for the painting of the mural is The Call Mall. Boyett described the importance of the building to The Call’s mission.  “If you don't know what The Call Mall is, the door is open. It's organized. It's full in there. The Call Mall offers free shopping for children and families, the hygiene items, diapers, equipment, beds, books, toys.”

After the speeches, many members of the community gathered in front of the mural for a photo with the ribbon, which, when cut, was followed with a round of applause, viewings of the mural and tours of The Call Mall.

Above photo: Carrie Sherbert speaks while standing in front of the mural she painted on the back side of The Call Mall, which can now be seen fully complete in the alley on the 100 block of Hope's West Second Street.

Below photo is by Kimberly McMahan, Hope-Hempstead County Chamber of Commerce Administrative Assistant and Membership Manager.

The following images of Sherbert's work were provided by Amber Tackett, the artist's sister.