How are murals at South created?
Many South students have noticed a new mural in the 500 Hall that appeared at the end of last year. This sparked some questions about how murals are created, what their place at school is, and how they help foster a welcoming school environment. Seniors Alexa Marie Cura, Rumi Paskalev, and Ellie Sedwick, as well as art CTE teacher Nina Herbst, offered their perspectives on the mural, and on murals at South in general.
The Fish Mural, that newest mural in the 500 Hall, was inspired by other murals throughout the school, with a nearby piece that depicts different cultures cited as being inspirational. The nearby mural is “very colorful and includes a lot of diversity… that one really inspired me,” Paskalev said. Cura and Sedwick concurred, adding that the newest mural “is a school of multicolored different species of fish… in a school, a bunch of different kinds of people can come together and be part of a community.”
Murals around South not only beautify the school, but they also benefit the students who undertake the creative process.
“Seeing your art on a large scale, on a wall, is very different than seeing it up close,” Art teacher Nina Herbst said. “Students not only gain a lot of technical skill, but also the presentation of it makes the imagery more accessible.”
Cura said that the process is helping her de-stress after school, and that part of the reason she created the mural was the opportunity to paint with her friends.
Creating a mural is quite accessible, with as many students as possible who want to beautify the school able to do so. Herbst explained that while the process is easier if you have taken art with her before, it isn’t necessary.
“Come see me and present a full color drawing of your illustration of your mural idea,” she said. “I take it to the mural committee and they look over it.”
After feedback from the mural committee and revision by the artist, the proposal goes to South admin for approval. Once the proposal has met all approval checks, “…then it’s on [you] to use a mural cart and finish it!” Herbst said.
Article by Emmett Coughlan