Murals

Odds are you’ve walked past a mural before. You may even have a favorite one. What have you noticed about it? Does it represent something historical or a particular culture? Does it tell a story? Does it mark a place in time? Or is it solely a design? That’s the beauty of the language of murals; they can offer messages and thought and are available to anyone who passes by. Take a photo of the mural. Research the name of the mural and the artist or artist(s). information such as the Record the names of the creators, the location of the mural, the neighborhood it is in, and any noticeable surrounding details. Is it in a park? Across the river? Does it cover an entire building? Sketch or diagram the mural you choose. Carefully record the shapes, forms, images, and patterns. Become a mural recorder!

Have you ever read a short saying scribed onto the side of a building that made you pause for a moment? Poetry is found all around us and can paint pictures of community, identity, and other themes in our minds. In this activity, choose your favorite short poem or saying, or create your own. Think about what the words mean to you. What themes can you find that make the poem or saying important or interesting? Take note of the themes you find and combine them into a single sketch that represents your chosen poem or saying. Then write in your poem or saying; allow it to flow around, through, or within your sketch. If your poem is for making a change, you might want to have big and bold letters. If your poem is about nature, however, you might consider writing your words in a flowing line like a garden vine. Notice how your drawing and words interact with each other. How does this interaction strengthen the meaning of your poem or saying? Create a poem mural and upload it to the gallery.

Murals have become popular as expressions of neighborhood historical pasts and their potential for the future. Research mural projects online and find out if there are ethnic areas of mural history where you live. Find a neighborhood with historic murals. One good example is America’s Chinatowns. Another example is the history of Indigenous peoples and key moments in a neighborhood’s development. Dig deep to uncover something unique about a neighborhood in your city and expand on this knowledge. Choose a topic that expresses your neighborhood values, relates to the neighborhood heritage, or something meaningful in the past. Murals can show detailed events and create a sense of camaraderie amongst people. They create stories with images! Make a poster of the murals in a neighborhood of your choice and share it with others. Upload your poster to the gallery.

Imagine flying into an airport when visiting a city. Is the airport filled with art of the region? Does it offer murals of the landscape, cityscape, and heritage of the city you are visiting? Airports are gateways to culture and express the ethnicity and demographics of the city’s population. They share the local talent of arts and crafts. A mural in a train station or an airport or a bus station can offer visual wayfinding of where you have landed and where you can go. Take a look at this mural in the town of Deauxville and Trouville. It presents a welcoming place that helps orient travelers. The same can happen on buildings outside of train stations, bus stations, and inside the airport. Art can communicate directions and sense of place. Create a Wayfinding mural for your city and upload it to the gallery.

Artists and designers create beautiful composition with lines, shapes, patterns, and colors. Looking at colorful geometric patterns can distract us, excite us, calm us. Patterns exist all over the world and can tell stories. Fractal patterns are amazing self replicating patterns that can be found if you look close and closer. Patterns call upon lines, shapes, forms and repetitions. Think Solid /Void. Look at the Art Nouveau Patterns, the Destjil patterns, and Nature Patterns. Large patterned murals captivate our attention and serve as backdrops for selfies, connecting people to a place. Find an empty wall in your neighborhood that could be brightened with a colorful pattern mural. Show the wall without and then with the mural! Bring a place alive!