Grade 6 Mural Adorns East Side Building

Grade 6 students designed a mural for a building on the corner of 34th and East E Street in Tacoma's East Side neighborhood above the Tacoma Dome. Middle School faculty members Shannon Leenstra, John Hunt and Kyle Price installed the mural yesterday.

The project was the culmination of the Middle Years Programme unit of inquiry "Mural Mural on the Wall." Students launched the project in art class with the statement of inquiry Artists can use public art to help their community imagine a hopeful future. Before designing the mural, students developed a survey to get feedback from community members about the the culture of their community and the style of art they would like to see.
  
Next students looked at different murals from around the world and explored style, tone and what they communicate. After deciding on a design, students wrote a formal proposal adapted directly from the City of Tacoma's proposal process for public art.
 
Several students, including Leo Howard and Nico Cefalu, who developed the concept for the Tacoma skyline with the letters H E L L O perching on the buildings, sketched and then painted the large canvas outside of art class.

According to Mrs. Leenstra, their art teacher, more neighborhood murals are planned in the future, with further community engagement.
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