Your Destination: Create a mini mural that will address a social issue. This issue is something that you find important that you want others to also know about so that they become aware of the situation as well. Murals are a great way to grab someone’s attention to promote social change.
Travel Kit: notebook, pen or pencil, paper, canvas or thick paper, paint, paint brushes, painter’s tape (optional)
On the Path:
Step 1 Choose an issue you want to address; what social change do you want to make? On paper, begin sketching the layout of your mini mural. It is better to have an idea of where you will place something before starting with paint right away. This way, you can change your mind without having to start all over.
Step 2 Using your completed sketch as a guide, you can begin lightly sketching on your canvas. Do not worry about making the sketch look perfect or erasing the pencil marks. This will all be painted over.
Step 3 Have your painting materials prepared, and start painting on your canvas. If needed, you may lay painter’s tape around the edges of the canvas before painting if you want to have clean lines.
Group Tour: Show your painting to your classmates or friends, and ask them to think about what it means. What message do they get from your painting? How does the painting feel? Does it make them curious about the social issue, and do they want to learn more about it?
Extend Your Journey: Research Banksy, a famous English street artist who is known for his political activism through his murals. Alternatively, if you want to actually create a mural, be sure to get any permits and permission to paint your work on a wall.
Learn New Vocabulary: mural, social issue
Resources and Visual Aids: Access our blogpost, Social Change Murals: https://artsphere.org/blog/social-change-mural
Watch Our Instructional Video