What should a mural for school focus on? Well, for José and I….we know our favorite answer to that question.
The mural at New Market School pulls together just about everything we love about art, the world, and the Art We There Yet project.
The mural depicts landmarks from around the globe, bringing the wide world into the hallways of a small school in rural Alabama.
We joke that now students have to walk through the world to get to class!
We hope it sparks curiousity in every student that walks past it – curiosity in the world, in other cultures, and the desire to go see these places in real life!
The value of a mural for school
It’s not just the value of the art itself. It’s the students’ experience contributing to their community. The children at New Market School soaked up this project, painting with such enthusiasm it was infectious!
For years to come, they will know that they painted something inspiring and beautiful for all the students that came after.
Their time painting had special meaning as well, because budget cuts have made official art classes a struggle for New Market School. The school currently shares its art teacher with four schools, resulting in only 9 instructional hours of art class per year. So the hour that students spent painting this mural was really something.
The value of dedicated educators
Just like at Maureen Phend at Tanglewood, a uniquely dedicated educator brought us to New Market.
Amber Moore contacted us early on in the Art We There Yet conversion. So from the get-go, we planned on stopping through New Market.
Educators like Amber and Maureen are the lifeblood of education. Without teachers like them, we would be in dire straights. We are so grateful for people like them who are so dedicated to their students.