School artist quits after being asked to cover up ‘pet remembrance’ field painting
Shaun Trent had painted elaborate and often timely art on the high school football field for 12 years
By Michael Warrick
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MACON COUNTY, Tennessee (WSMV) — The groundskeeper who maintained the Macon County football field said he quit after he claimed the school told him to cover up his latest midfield painting.
Shaun Trent had painted elaborate and often timely art on the high school football field for 12 years, and he did it for free.
But after painting a nod to ‘Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day’ for Macon County’s game on Aug. 26, he was told to cover it up.
The art featured different animals on a rainbow, serving as a tribute to people’s pets that have died.
“They ruined the artistic side, it’s over,” Trent said. “You can’t do that to somebody who takes so much pride in something like that. You can’t censor them and do that, especially after you’ve had so much trust in them. It crushed me, it crushed my soul.”
Over the years Trent has painted a wide range of art at midfield, with everything from holiday-themed logos, to breast cancer awareness and September 11 tributes.
“It takes a long time to do that, I took so much pride in it knowing that the community loved it,” Trent said. “It was a great thing we had going, beautiful thing we had going.”
Trent said Friday morning he received a call from the head football coach, asking Trent to cover up the ‘Rainbow Bridge Remembrance’ painting.
Initially, Trent said he would, but changed his course – saying he just couldn’t bring himself to erase his work.
He also said the Macon County Director of Schools called him and told him to cover it up as well.
Macon County Schools has not offered an explanation as to why they wanted the art removed.
Trent never thought people would be upset with the choice of art.
“I kind of looked at a Google calendar and saw, well, there’s a Rainbow Remembrance Day coming up, this’ll be kind of cool,” Trent said. “I mean the stuff I post, I didn’t think once about offending anybody, never have.”
Trent, who owns the landscaping company Trents Progrounds, posted about the debacle and since, has received hundreds of messages of support.
One Macon County woman, Kayla Lanier, even started making t-shirts, with the words, “#WeStandWithTrent.”
Lanier said she has sold dozens of them so far, with the proceeds going to a local animal shelter.
“It’s great, I didn’t realize my art touched that many people but it’s still the few that I’ve let down that really crushes me. Because that’s the kind of person I am, I don’t want to make anybody upset,” Trent said.
The school has yet to comment on why Trent was asked to cover up his painting.
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