Summer Rising Murals
These murals were inspired by the title of NYC’s summer school program, “Summer Rising." The 6-8th grade students began by brainstorming in small groups about the way in which they “rise” as individuals and as a school community. To generate imagery for the murals, students took photographs and drew symbols related to their theme. To make content-specific photos they completed theater activities where they directed and enacted scenes for the murals. The “director” of the group positioned the “actors” in a pose and then the “photographer” took pictures of the scene. Afterwards the students collaged their photographs and drawings into one cohesive image. We looked at the mural work of Jazmine Hayes and Groundswell NYC as inspiration for how to integrate several images into a unified composition. Finally, the students traced their collage onto a large sheet of paper before each person painted a part of the mural.
For this assignment the language target we focused on the most was evaluating the extent to which elements work together to make an impact or convey an intended message. As a group, they discussed and refined their collage to clearly convey a theme. These discussions were also helpful in improving their social and emotional learning. They learned how to generate ideas with others and explain their creative choices in a constructive manner. This required them to work through conflicts to convey an artistic vision representative of every group member. Their commitment to inclusion empowered them to create murals that conveyed a cohesive and optimistic message.
6-8th Grade, Acrylic Paint on Paper, 4’ x 6’
