Lissa K. McLean Mural
Celebrating Women of Achievement
Lissa McLean was born in Caro, Michigan and resided much of her life in the Lansing area. An unflinching supporter of women’s rights, women’s sports, women’s history, and the arts, Lissa embraced Washington D.C. with the passion of a child and devoured its history. She managed the D.C. office of the National Women’s History Project, volunteered for The Eleanor Roosevelt Papers, organized events for the Women’s Sports Foundation, played a key role in facilitating National Women in Sports Day, and became the Women’s National Basketball Association’s most stalwart supporter.
The McLean Room was established in honor of Lissa McLean to continue to recognize and celebrate women’s achievements. The McLean Mural was installed in 2008.
Click the images below to see larger images of each section of the mural.
Featured Women
Amelia Earhart– aviator, first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic
Marian Anderson – contralto singer, sang at the Lincoln Memorial
Susan B. Anthony – women’s suffrage advocate
Rosie the Riveter symbol – representing the women on the home front during WWII
Space exploration symbol – representing women’s achievements in space
Georgia O’Keeffe – 20th century artist
Princess Diana – humanitarian activist
U.S. Women’s Soccer symbol
Helen Keller – disability rights pioneer
Jacqueline Kennedy – former First Lady
WNBA symbol
Juliette Gordon Low – founder of the Girl Scouts of America
Lissa K. McLean – National Women’s History Project benefactor, WNBA supporter, promoter of women’s history and achievements
Eleanor Roosevelt – former First Lady, social reformer
Mother Teresa – nun and humanitarian
Marie Curie – Nobel prize winning chemist and physicist
Harriet Tubman – abolitionist, Underground Railroad conductor
Rachel Carson – conservationist and author
Indira Gandhi – first female Prime Minister of India
Rosa Parks’ bus – representing contributions of all women involved in the Civil Rights Movement
Hua Mu-Lan – Chinese folk hero & warrior
Bessie Coleman – African-American aviator
Beatrix Potter – children’s author
Sacajawea – Lewis & Clark guide
Betty Friedan – feminist author and activist
Jackie Cochran’s plane – symbol of Jackie Cochran’s status as the first woman to break the sound barrier
Anne Frank – diarist
Clara Barton – founder of the American Red Cross
About the Artist
The art of Gijsbert van Frankenhuyzen, known as Nick, captures his lifelong connection to nature and wildlife. Born in the Netherlands, Gijsbert studied at the Royal Academy of Arts in Arnhem and immigrated to the United States in 1976. Shortly thereafter, he became the Art Director for the Michigan Natural Resources Magazine, where he learned about and experienced the vast beauty and the natural history of Michigan.
In 1993, he ventured out on his own as an artist and educator, sharing his love for art and nature with schools. Traveling throughout Michigan, his programs vary from hands-on painting seminars and wildlife rehabilitation to habitat improvement and wildlife photography. Most recently, Gijsbert’s mural work for Fort Mackinac on Mackinac Island, Fort Michilimackinac and the Natural History Museum at Michigan State University have received much praise and public attention.
Gijsbert lives on a farm in Bath, Michigan.