New mural to brighten Sagle school’s hall

SAGLE — Thanks to the recent effort of a homegrown artist, a formerly ordinary Sagle Elementary School hallway is blooming with blue. 

As part of a beautification initiative in the school, locally raised and Boise-based artist Kaly Soderberg was commissioned this fall to paint a project in Sagle Elementary’s intermediate hallway. 

The mural will include a pair of quotes — “Kindness is the ability and desire to have a positive impact on others” and “The best way to predict your future is to create it” — emblazoned on a cool blue background. 

The final design was the result of collaboration between Soderberg and Crystal Beck, reading interventionist at Sagle Elementary and lead of the school’s beautification committee. 

“We tried to keep it calm, so it’s not overstimulating for the kids,” Beck said of the design and color palette. 

The quotes were selected to complement the school’s core values, and the location was picked to offer something to Sagle Elementary’s oldest students. 

“We felt like this one was just to try to reach them and give them something that made their wing of the building feel special,” said Beck. 

Over the nearly 80 hours Soderberg has spent executing the project, the artist has painted each line and letter by hand — a painstaking process.  

“Crisp, dark lines on a bumpy, lighter wall is a challenge,” Soderberg said. “My nose is pretty much on the wall when I’m doing it,” she added with a laugh.

To prepare for the final result, custodians Mark Shaffer and Kevin Murray installed angled lights illuminating the art to ensure Soderberg’s work is displayed as well as possible. 

The work is Soderberg’s second at Sagle Elementary; last year, she completed a sprawling landscape of mountains and trees along the school’s entryway. Paint for the expansive project was donated by Miller Paint Bucket and the school’s parent-teacher association played a key fundraising role. 

While Soderberg’s current project will be Sagle Elementary’s newest art installation, it certainly won’t be its last. According to Beck and school principal Chris Davis, the beautification committee is already planning a project that will create “shadow boxes” to showcase student artwork. 

“It's not just their stuff stapled up on the wall. It's like a framed art gallery, and everybody's going to get to have their chance to shine there,” Beck said. 

Piece by piece and brushstroke by brushstroke, future work will continually lend unique and distinct character to the halls of a local school and inspire students. 

“We’re pretty excited about all of it,” said Davis of art plans going forward. “It makes all the difference in the world in our school.”