Students' mural celebrates diversity
Arts Alliance artist in residence Lynn Guier demonstrates the next step in transforming the raw clay tablets into the diversity mural. (Photo CAMERON RASMUSSON)
SANDPOINT — It’s appropriate that the theme of the latest collaboration between the Arts Alliance and local schools is diversity — an eclectic group of individuals contributed to its creation.
After all, the art project in progress is the product of 30 diversely-aged students and a group of committed volunteers.
The mural portrays a group of cheerful individuals, each identifiable by a profession, recreation or age. From left to right, the setting changes seasons, starting with autumn and ending in winter. The piece emphasizes that no matter the time or a person’s identity, everyone ties into a greater community.
“The theme was diversity, and so the students created a bunch of different characters coming from various walks of life,” Arts Alliance executive director Lizzy Hughes said.
Starting as an after-school project for kids from a variety of schools across the area, artist in residence Lynn Guier challenged the students to draw their perception of firefighters or skiers. The kids then had a limited amount of time to complete their designs. Afterwards, both the kids and the drawings were divided up, and each group selected their favorite illustrations. Afterwards, the class arranged the winning characters into the picture that would provide the basis for the mural. Finally, the kids blew the image up to 11 by 11 feet and transferred it to several clay tablets, creating a three-dimensional effect.
“We separated it all into pieces like a big puzzle,” Guier said. “Then the kids started drawing images into clay.”
The students that accomplished all this were a diverse group themselves. They ranged in age from second graders to high schoolers and represented several different schools around the area. The Arts Alliance artists spoke highly of the kids’ enthusiasm and dedication.
“The kids basically created this entire thing,” Hughes said.
On Tuesday evening, a group of mothers, Arts Alliance members, former students and art enthusiast gathered to paint and glaze the panels in preparation for the kiln. Once the mural is assembled, it will be moved downtown for display at an as-of-yet undermined location.
Arts Alliance officials are especially grateful to Dauray Owens, the Equinox Foundation, the Inland Northwest Community Foundation, the Laura Moore Cunningham Foundation and Sandpoint Charter School for the grants that made the mural possible.
“These projects are meaningful and inspiring to the students, the teachers, and the community” says Arts Alliance Executive Director Lizzy Hughes. “We can’t wait to put this splash of color downtown this summer.”