The concept behind The Tree of Life, which was painted on the doors in the center of Ferguson City Hall, is that the leaves represent the necessary elements for a community to be whole - brotherhood, respect, hope, opportunity, equality, and education to name a few. Stylistically, the leaves then move outward in swirls on the rest of the boarded windows of City Hall, and are similar ot a Van Gogh painting spreading their wishes to the community as a whole.
Sheri Goldsmith, who has a BGA in painting and ceramics, designed the artwork. "It took us almost a full day... but we had music and we were all singing, and there was such a feeling of positive energy. The Missouri National Guard, who still had members stationed at City Hall at the time, asked if one of their emblems could be included in the painting, signifying their inclusion in the healing effort." If you look closely, you can see that a shoulder patch showing a standing grizzly bear as the symbol of the state of Missouri was included in the original art, and is included in the coloring book as well.
The Tree of Life was designed by Sheri Goldsmith and painted by Sheri Goldsmith, the Doctor Family, Dahven White and Veronica Delgado.