Making the mural
The initial sketches:
Teacher Note:
Once Beth had finished her project, she held a small private view (pictures of the event on the next page.) At this event, other students were told that they would be allowed to draw on the wall over the next few weeks. I can confirm that several students DID draw their own murals. One student drew a logo incorporating the letters of his name and some positive imagery of nature, another drew a gothic bat logo in the style of batman that suggested helping others. Before I could come back into school and photograph the evidence, the schools closed. When schools were reopened, the mural wall was considered a safety hazard, in order to build a socially distant zone in the garden, all of the wooden outdoor walls, including the ones with the murals had to be taken down. They were stored in the basement. When schools went back, I was not able to access the basement for safety reasons. However, I CAN confirm that Beth’s mural inspired others to paint similar works and that this was also displayed publicly. In one of the above images, you can see the white wall that she made for them. If in September I can access these murals, I will add the pictures to her portfolio. – Melanie Jones, Art Teacher
MEETING MY LEADERSHIP SKILLS
- Spreading positivity through art – My mural contained a positive message for other staff and students at school. It also remained on the wall in Peckham for others to see when they went past for most of the lockdown. I hope that this positive message was a comfort to people in a difficult time.
- Inspiring others – As you can see from Melanie’s message, other students were inspired by my mural to create their own work.
- Political awareness – I have become more politically aware during this project and I hope that I have inspired political awareness in others.
- Turning negativity into positivity – I took images of gun and knife crime and turned them into something eye-catching and positive for others. In my image, the weapons have become paintbrushes , and the blood has become golden paint, suggesting that we should make art not war.