University of Kentucky, Memorial Hall fresco

O'Hanlon began working as an artist during the Great Depression in the United States. In order to provide work for unemployed artists, the United States Federal Government commissioned art projects. Through the Treasury Relief Art Project of the U.S. Treasury Department, O'Hanlon was commissioned to create a fresco for the foyer of Memorial Hall on the campus of the University of Kentucky.^[3][2] O'Hanlon painted a 40-foot (12 m) fresco which tells the history of Kentucky from the time of settlement through the 19th century.^[4]

The fresco has repeatedly attracted negative attention for what many view as its romanticized depiction of African American slaves. In a 1964 interview, O'Hanlon addressed the depictions of African Americans in the painting, but did not elaborate on her decision to include representations of slaves in the center of the mural. Further, she claimed that during her childhood, there was not much racism and that Kentucky was more "tolerant" than other Southern states.^[3] In 2006, the Student Government Association attempted to have the mural removed. In November 2015 after a meeting with minority students at the University of Kentucky, University President Eli Capilouto, announced on a blog post and by email that the wall with the fresco would be shrouded until the university community comes to a permanent decision about how to deal with the fresco.^[5][6]