Local Art Student Creates Masterpiece Mural for Hilton Head Retailer

While Ace Hardware of Hilton Head was undergoing a renovation, retail assistant Mary Lynn Plocica came up with idea of including a mural in the new space.

Plocica’s daughter took art classes in high school, which gave her the idea to connect with the local high school and commission the art students to create the mural. Ace Hardware of Hilton Head owners Jordan Garmon, Brad Huffman and Ron Burke are also into building the community, and working with the high school was another key way to support the island.

Plocicia met with the head of the art department, who was very interested in partnering with the store, and shared the concept for the mural.

“We wanted to do the island and wanted to have pinpoints of locations around the island,” Plocica says. “After that first meeting, she actually came back right away with a student who she had who she said would be perfect for the project.”

That student was Kaya Tolley, a junior at the time, who finished the 4-foot by 12-foot mural in four months. It currently hangs over the front entrance of the store.

“Kaya was amazing, she was constantly working on it and it turned out great,” Plocica says.