LSUS digital arts graduates contribute to murals in new Amazon facility

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LSUS digital arts graduates contribute to murals in new Amazon facility

SHREVEPORT -- When more than 1,300 Amazon employees report daily to the SHV1 fulfillment center opened in Shreveport in September, they are greeted by images of home.

Three LSUS graduates were part of a local artist team that created and designed murals around Amazon's new first-mile facility that the company says will be the blueprint for future facilities.

Digital Arts graduates Victoria Pouncy, Cassidy Adams and Bailey Harris each contributed pieces of various murals touting Louisiana's local flair.

"I'm still getting used to the fact that my artwork is in a building like that," said Pouncy, an experienced local artist who graduated from LSUS this spring. "The team was really big on producing something for the local community and to represent the talent that local artists have.

"For me, LSUS opened the idea of mixing the art I was doing with digital art. I can do graphic design and my traditional art at the same time, and that's opened my eyes to more opportunities."

Pouncy contributed two pelicans and a magnolia (Louisiana's state bird and flower) to the left side of the "Shreveport With Love" mural.

Each artist had specific prompts and products as the foundation for their piece. Pouncy worked from a "Magnolias and Pelicans" theme.

Pouncy, who also helped manage the entire project, connected with fellow LSUS graduate Adams when the latter responded to social media posts searching for local artists.

"I helped the other artists with anything they needed and made sure everything was turned in on time," said Pouncy, who assisted project manager KaDavien Baylor. "We coordinated on everyone's timelines.

"I wanted to bring in some people I graduated with because work can be hard to find right after college, and I really vibed with Cassidy, who is really talented."

Adams, also a Spring 2024 graduate, knew Pouncy from art classes throughout each other's LSUS tenure.

"LSUS definitely prepared us for something like this because of the number of projects and different things we were doing in class," Adams said. "Overall, it was a really fun experience.

"In learning about the Amazon facility, this is the first one to do something like this, and they want to try and incorporate it in all of their facilities."

Adams' art features a girl writing in a notebook with 'Dream Big' at the top and a supply list going down the page. Doodles of roses and other flowers adorn the page as an Amazon Echo speaker plays music on the desk.

"For me, I wanted the girl to be able to build her own future," said Adams, who is a tattoo apprentice at Gallery Ink Studio in Bossier City. "She's dreaming of the world she wants to live in.

"I also wanted to find a way to represent the American Rose Center in the piece."

Adams' contribution is part of the "Ark-La-Tex" mural that arcs over an entryway.

Harris' art centered around Amazon's fresh food delivery in somewhat of an anime-inspired, comic strip style. Children are chomping down on fresh fruit and vegetables in the piece.

All three are involved in local art scenes in some way or another.

Pouncy keeps busy with her job at Shreve Memorial Library, her first solo art show in late September, and participating in the Agora Borealis artist marketplace.

"Everybody needs to go see local art and support local art because there are a lot of talented artists and musicians right here in Shreveport," Pouncy said.