Demopolis High School Tiger Murals | Demopolis, Alabama
In 2026, Alabama mural artist Banks Compton returned to Demopolis High School to create two collaborative murals with students in the school's visual arts program.
The project had a personal connection for Banks. He attended school in Demopolis before leaving high school in 2017 after being accepted early to the Rhode Island School of Design. Years later, he returned to the same school system as a professional mural artist to work alongside its students.
Art teacher Meggin Mayben, who had taught Banks when he was a student, secured funding for the project through a Demopolis City Schools Foundation grant. Together, Banks, Mayben, and DHS art students transformed two alcove walls in the school's outdoor Tiger Court into colorful celebrations of art, learning, and school pride. Demopolis City Schools documented the project and described it as an example of the lasting impact of arts education.
Returning to Demopolis to Paint With the Next Generation
Client: Demopolis High School
Location: Demopolis, Alabama
Artist: Banks Compton
Collaborator: Meggin Mayben & DHS Visual Art Students
Funding: Demopolis City Schools Foundation
Location on Campus: Tiger Court
Artwork: Two Exterior Murals
Theme: Tigers, Academics & DHS School Pride
Artistic Inspiration: Vincent van Gogh & Impressionism
Community Engagement: Student Painting & Art Education
Completed: 2026
Project at a Glance
DHS: Art, Academics & School Pride
Across the breezeway, the second mural centers on the large initials DHS.
The letters incorporate a tiger-inspired pattern while surrounding imagery represents learning, academics, athletics, and life at Demopolis High School.
Using the same expressive visual language across both alcoves allows the murals to function as a pair: one centered around the school's tiger mascot and the other around the students and institution the mascot represents.
Demopolis High School describes the overall concept as “Van Gogh-Inspired Tiger & School Pride,” noting that the second mural includes symbols representing both academics and athletics.
A Tiger Beneath a Starry Sky
One side of Tiger Court features a monumental close-up portrait of the Demopolis tiger.
Banks developed the mural using an expressive painting style inspired by Impressionism and the work of Vincent van Gogh. Swirling marks and energetic areas of color move through the tiger and surrounding blue landscape, giving the image the feeling of existing within a star-filled night sky.
The tiger's bright eyes appear to twinkle within the surrounding pattern, creating a playful connection between the school's mascot and the expressive night skies associated with Van Gogh.
The artistic reference also gave the project an educational component. Students weren't simply helping paint a school mascot—they were participating in a large-scale artwork influenced by techniques and ideas from art history.
Students Helped Create the Murals
Student participation was an essential part of the project.
Before Banks arrived to begin the final painting, DHS visual art students prepared the walls, applied primer and background color, and created a doodle grid that allowed the designs to be accurately transferred to the large surfaces.
Banks then worked directly with the students as they helped paint portions of the tiger and DHS mural.
The process gave students an opportunity to see how a professional mural develops from a smaller design into a finished architectural-scale artwork. Banks guided students through the painting process before completing the final details and finishing work.
Their participation means the finished murals don't simply represent the students of Demopolis High School—they contain artwork actually painted by them.
A Full-Circle Art Education Story
For Banks, returning to Demopolis made the project particularly meaningful.
Before becoming a professional muralist, Banks was a student in the Demopolis school system and studied art under Meggin Mayben. His path eventually took him from Demopolis to the Rhode Island School of Design, where he completed his painting degree, and ultimately into a career creating large-scale murals.
Returning years later to work with Mayben and her own students brought those experiences together.
Mayben told Demopolis City Schools that seeing a former student return to lead the project demonstrated to current students what could be possible through their own artistic interests.
For Banks, the project offered an opportunity to give students the kind of hands-on exposure to professional art-making that can make a creative career feel tangible.
Supported by the Demopolis City Schools Foundation
The murals were made possible through a classroom grant from the Demopolis City Schools Foundation secured by Meggin Mayben.
The Foundation supports educational opportunities throughout the Demopolis City School System by funding teacher-led projects that extend beyond what traditional school funding may provide. The City of Demopolis reports that the Foundation has supported local schools through classroom grants for decades.
In this case, that support brought a professional artist into the school while giving students the opportunity to participate directly in creating permanent artwork for their campus.
Murals as Hands-On Arts Education
School murals can serve two purposes at once: permanently transforming a campus while providing students with an opportunity to participate in the artistic process.
Rather than completing the Demopolis High School murals entirely on his own, Banks structured the project so students could contribute meaningfully to the finished work.
The result is a permanent expression of DHS school pride—and a record of the students who helped create it.
About Banks Compton
Banks Compton is an Alabama mural artist and RISD alumnus creating large-scale murals and public art throughout Alabama and across the United States.
Originally from Alabama, Banks' work focuses on storytelling, nature, local culture, and creating artwork that reflects the communities and environments where it is installed.
Alongside commissioned murals, Banks works with schools, youth organizations, cities, and community groups to create collaborative projects that introduce participants to the process of making large-scale public art.
Looking for a School or Community Mural Artist in Alabama?
Banks works with schools, education foundations, universities, youth programs, cities, and community organizations throughout Alabama to create murals that combine professional public art with opportunities for education and participation.
Projects can be developed around school identity, local history, educational themes, student participation, or the unique character of an individual campus.