Murals will symbolize hope, renewal, at Islamic Center of Cape Girardeau

Trees rustle in the wind on a gloomy afternoon in Cape Girardeau, in the backyard at artist Craig Thomas' studio space.

Two giant paintings are underway, both on sheets of plywood, both of a white dove in flight.

"They're symbols of hope," Thomas said. "Happy colors, colors of renewal."

A third panel will join the first two, and all three will cover plywood panels already in place at the Islamic Center of Cape Girardeau at 298 N. Westend Blvd., burned last month, on the first morning of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Nicholas J. Proffitt, 42, faces state and federal charges in connection with the fire.

The plywood sheets are propped up on milk crates, the better for Thomas to reach with his brushes and paints. He's working with Christy Spence-Moore, also a Cape Girardeau-based artist who teaches visual arts at Saxony Lutheran High School in Fruitland.

The two have worked together on murals before. Both had a hand in the murals on Cape Girardeau's river wall, a mural in Jackson, another that the city of Cape Girardeau uses in their haunted house (complete with 3D effects and glowing paint, Thomas said), and another at Central Academy in Cape Girardeau.

This project is more mobile, and the hope is that after these murals have served their purpose at the Islamic Center, they can be used elsewhere in the building.

Spence-Moore said she lives near the Islamic Center. "They're my neighbors," she said. "I've personally been shown so much love and friendship by the people who worship there."

And, she said, "no one should have to live through having their religious community center set on fire because of hate."

Herself a survivor of a house fire, Spence-Moore said she knows firsthand how devastating a fire can be, so she reached out, not knowing what she could do, but knowing she wanted to help.

"I'm not a counselor. I'm not a builder," she said. "But Craig and I, we know how to paint."

Thomas nodded. "I'm glad we can do it," he said. "Show the Islamic community that not everyone are haters."

Future plans include a more permanent mural after the fire damage is repaired, envisioned as a community effort, Spence-Moore said.

Rania Roumany, a member of the Islamic Center, said the two artists contacted the Center's leadership about the project. "We all wanted to send a kind and peaceful message to everybody.

"We are lucky to have such a caring and loving community," Roumany said. "We received a lot of support and help, which we are so grateful for."

Roumany said that generous donations from the city of Cape Girardeau, Southeast Missouri State University, Saint Francis Medical Center, SoutheastHEALTH, churches, community organizations and individuals are greatly appreciated.

"The mural painting will represent a simple unifying message that everyone will understand," Roumany said. "A picture is worth a thousand words, and this mural is from the community, to the community."