New Perspectives Through Murals for Motivation at Gulf Avenue Elementary
Wednesday, February 15, 2012 at 12:25PM | sharefest Great partnerships have always yielded great results. There 
are some partnerships that are always a winning combination, like chocolate and anything it’s paired with. One of these winning combos comes in the form of Sharefest and State Farm. Together, they have made it possible for “at-risk” students of Avalon Continuation High School to provide their community with works of art that are inspirational to everyone.
Since the beginning of the 2011-2012 school year, students have been teaming up with local artists to visit elementary school campuses in the Wilmington area, plan a relevant work of art, and execute it with aesthetic appeal – all while learning artistic techniques that they can benefit from in their personal and professional lives.
The largest project so far has been a huge two-bungalow classroom sized mural at Gulf Avenue Elementary, on the west side of Wilmington. A handful of Avalon students got together with L.A artist, Arnaud Damasceno, and dreamed up a fantastic, inventive, and encouragingly literate mural for the younger kids at Gulf to enjoy. In about 3 months, students were able to help Arnaud transform the classrooms into a (much) larger than life bookshelf, complete with book ends, some classic stories, and Dr. Seuss’ Lorax – certainly a topical addition because of the film hitting theaters soon.
Many students were enthusiastic about the project from the beginning, perhaps not realizing how much hard work it would require and instead focusing on the delicious pizza they would be eating at the end of each session. They soldiered through the job, however, and by the end of the Fall semester had almost completed the mural. Perhaps the most enthusiastic student was a young man by the name of Elvis. He certainly ended up being king of the murals class. In a short interview with Elvis, he told me that he “didn’t think it would be as laborious, but [his] appreciation for murals was strengthened after so much work on this Gulf mural.” The students weren’t the only people learning, however, when it came to the class.
Although Arnaud was the instructor for the murals class, he ended up learning a few things from the Avalon High students as well. Specifically, Arnaud said he learned to be patient when it came to showing the students how to create, and he learned how to effectively employ collaboration in order to complete different parts of the project simultaneously. The experience is certainly one that I enjoyed being a part of, and I feel I learned the incredible sense of community achieved from creating together; after all, quite a few people will be able to view the art piece.
The mural is definitely in a prominent part of the elementary school’s campus, which means our work of art will be showcased to the surrounding neighborhood. I know the Avalon students feel a sense of pride when reminded that it is their project that is helping to beautify the school, unite the student body and surrounding community, and provide a source of inspiration for the students who grace Gulf Avenue’s campus. Hopefully, years from now when the students are casually walking or driving by the school, their work will still be on display and they can point out to people just how much hard work went into this beautiful, inspirational masterpiece.
Written by Rosie Parra // YDA Tutor
