William Chochran, A Handful of Keys (2005)
In the quiet streets of the Great Neck Plaza, there is a lovely acrylic trompe l’oeil (trick-of-the-eye painting) mural that features a group of children. The discipline exhibited in this piece is impeccable. Many people who pass by are surprised to see that the children they see are not, in fact, real. This mural (5.2 by 2.4 meters) entitled A Handful of Keys portrays subjects who look posed; however, at the same time, there is a certain voyeuristic quality about the children that makes the mural extremely life-like. 
Even on weekends, the plaza remains very still; however, this mural brings a certain vitality. The mural was commissioned fairly recently in 2005. However, if you ask residents of Great Neck, they will say it has been there forever simply because it has been there for such a long time when put in the perspectives of their lives. The Great Neck community is a suburban area that is populated heavily with children and adolescents, so the keys may symbolize the future. This idea could be fueled by the thought that the youth hold the keys to the future and have the power to change the future; and because the mural is on the outside of a building, anyone can see it. In any case, the idea of this mural is pretty accessible. The key symbol is straightforward in its meaning and this combined with the accurate portrayal of its subject matter makes the mural extremely accessible.
