Materials: Paint sticks, pencils and larger rolls of paper, butcher paper, tape
Directions:
1. Brainstorm with students a common word for the mural, such as the name of the school or recreation center, a theme studied or a short inspiring message.
2. Select a small group of students (or teacher) to make this word into large bubble letters using pencil on a roll of butcher paper.
3. Place paper on a smooth surface or onto a second sheet of butcher paper. You could also work on the floor and use tape to secure clean butcher paper to sit on.
4. Show students images of murals in their neighborhood. Ask where they are and what makes them special.
5. Have the students make choices regarding the colors and what they will depict. Will all the outlines of letters be one color? Will they be filled in with warm colors, so they pop, and the background be cool colors, so they recede in space? Will the letters be filled with symbols and the background be filled with patterns? Deciding on the pallets and choices ahead of time will help make the mural look unified.
6. Each student gets a different color paint stick and knows what they need to do working in small groups.
Reflections from our classrooms: MURALS
This summer 2024, our ASI teacher showed youth murals in their recreation centers and the city. It was great to see youth recognizing the artworks and getting excited to see their neighborhoods represented.
The teacher presented the small artists with a challenge: treat their paper as if it were a wall in their neighborhood and create a mural on that wall. Our young artists immediately ran with this concept – there were many Fishtown themed murals, personalized murals for family homes, superhero murals, and many more!
Many youths decided to work together in groups, putting their brains together to contribute to one common idea. Once they were done with their mini murals, the teacher offered a large piece of paper with their center’s name on it. She encouraged youth to contribute to the piece together to hang up in their recreation center.