This week Creativity in the Community has been diving into the history of public art, exploring murals in our community and learning from experts about how artists use their craft purposefully as a way to send a message. Students began the week by reflecting on art as it exists in the Keys community. They explored our Lower School campus, noticing the art around them here and thinking about what they could create to add to our campus. Public art has a unique power in any community, with its ability to enhance meaning in our civic spaces and add uniqueness to our communities. Often times public art is used to add personal touches to man-made spaces.
During this week students have learned firsthand from a professional muralist, working together to create a mural for Keys using chalk pastels. The professional muralist demonstrated the importance of considering space and size when working on such a large-scale project. Students later ventured out into our local community, observing and analyzing art installations in Mitchell Park. They learned how public art can influence how people see and connect with a place. Students delved deeper into the idea of community and art by taking a trip to San Francisco to do a walking tour of murals in the Mission. In addition to murals, students explored other public art forms including yarn-storming, sidewalk chalk art, sand art, stickers and more. With the assistance of a 3-D printer students are delving into 3D designs. Teacher leading our “Creativity in the Community” group hope students are becoming more aware of art around them and learn about the value of public art that is accessible for anyone to enjoy.
