This year, I focused on personalizing my classroom in ways that resonate with both myself and my students. This was my first year teaching in my own classroom (I won't count my year at Beals with an art room because I was traveling and on a cart at another school simultaneously). Taking ownership of my new room while adding personal touches was incredibly fulfilling. I aimed to create an inspiring room that felt joyful to be in. One wall in the back of my room was covered with graffiti containing students' names, random symbols, and even a few colorful words I won't mention! I decided it was time to refresh the mural that came with the room. To brighten up our space, I enlisted some students from my advisement to apply a base coat using leftover paint from my previous studio.
I crafted a lesson plan for my Painting 2 class to take on the mural project. Utilizing SignUp Genius, I had students select a building or landmark to illustrate on our collaborative mural. The objective was to create a map of Council Bluffs that highlights popular landmarks, natural elements, and streets. Adding a community aspect to our room felt like something the students would resonate with. With plenty of leftover paint from an earlier mural project, we opted for a monochromatic color scheme using various tints and shades of pink. The letters for Council Bluffs we made with large stencils.
Before students could paint on the wall, I had them develop thumbnails and color comps. I wanted them to plan their values carefully before bringing their ideas to life.
Student thumbnails by Kaitlyn R.
Color comp by Kaitlyn R.
Student thumbnails by Sheyla H.
Sheyla's color comp.
Once they had their plan in place, I demonstrated how to draw or trace their illustration on the wall. We encountered a few challenges during the project. For instance, some landmarks were almost overlapping, which made it tricky for several students to paint together at the same time. This became a valuable lesson in teamwork. I emphasized that collaboration and communication are essential in life. The students showed respect for one another and took turns painting on different days. I'm grateful that I allocated two months for this project, as there were days when students needed a bit of motivation to keep going. Overall, I believe the students were quite self-motivated, and I would definitely undertake this project with students again.
We were fortunate to have Sharon Manhart from Arbor Street Studios as a guest speaker during the middle of this project. I invited Sharon to share her experience as a sign and mural painter. She generously brought along some recommended brushes and taught us how to create a drop shadow on letters using a triangle ruler. We learned so much, and everyone felt inspired by her expertise. I believe having a professional come in set the bar high, allowing students to appreciate the professional quality of Sharon’s work. Sharon told us that art was her favorite class in high school & without it she wouldn't be where she is today.
Sharon sharing her portfolio & paint samples with students. We learned a lot about color theory as well as tips on how to pick contrasting colors.
Sharon also shared opportunities for our students to create proposals for their own mural work.
By the end of the project we had a second wall I wasn’t sure what to do with. I had been looking up stenciling for my own house project and had the aha moment that that was the route we should go. We created a radial design with a stencil I found in the classroom. I was proud that we were able to use all art supplies that were found in the art room to finish both projects.
One of the requirements was that students had to label their landmark. Some even went to their location to take their own reference photos. They were allowed to use reference images from the internet as well.
Marianne working on her Ruth Anne Dodge Memorial landmark, also known as the Black Angel.
If I were to undertake this project again, I might approach certain aspects of the plan differently. Perhaps drawing the whole design out on paper first to come up with a solid composition would be better. I pretty much drew a rough outline of the map myself on the wall & then had them find their landmarks on the map. Having them find & decide where to draw their building was a little more challenging for them than I thought it would be. Projecting it in the future might go smoother. I did enjoy the hand drawn quality their landmarks had. For students that struggled I allowed for them to use carbon paper to transfer their color comp onto the wall.
*Some parts of the mural where still in process when I photographed this.
Many students from other classes expressed admiration for the mural and asked if they could contribute. Two girls added squirrels, a senior included the state bird, and several others painted trees to fill in negative spaces. It was an enjoyable project to work on as a class! I loved that other creative students, outside our own group, wanted to join in the fun as well.
One student said to me after working on the mural that she had never worked on a project that was part of the school before. I could tell it made her feel proud & have a sense of ownership. Another student said she wanted to paint more murals. Many students had a hand in this project. Some that were not even in my class. It was a wonderful end of the year activity & I hope that they remember the experience for years to come.
A big thank you to Sharon Manhart of Arbor Street Studios for coming to inspire & speak to our classes at Abraham Lincoln. Check out Sharon's work here.