For the past four years, I’ve worked closely with staff, students, volunteers, and artist collaborators to create an annual mural with the 7th grade class at Global Arts Plus (GAP) middle school in St. Paul, Minnesota. This project offers students the opportunity to experience the entire mural-making process—from initial concept and design to a fully painted wall.

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Together, we co-create the mural, working with students to bring their ideas to life through paint. Part of the magic of this project is witnessing student designs come to fruition on the wall. It’s also powerful to see how the process builds excitement school-wide: each year, the 5th and 6th graders watch the mural unfold and look forward to the day they’ll leave their own creative mark on the building.

 

GAP is home to more murals—both painted and mosaic—than any school I’ve ever seen, with a legacy of public art that stretches back more than a decade through sustained artist collaboration. Silent Fox has been the collaborating artist on the project for three of the four years, contributing to design, painting, and teaching students painting techniques. Since we blend our styles with the students’, each mural reflects the interests, voices, and creative energy of the students in that particular year—often weaving in current events, trends, and even meme culture.