It all began when students decide we must paint murals ….
We start with brainstorms to share our collective knowledge, deepen this through research, then guided meditation grounds us in the material. The main guideline: to collaborate and fill the entire space. We started with making backdrops to our plays using markers and liquid tempera on cardboard. Then we graduated to bedsheets, plywood, then cement with acrylics – from Saskatoon to Mozambique - ages 3 to 14
Modigliani Dancer [liquid tempera on bedsheet]
Reptiles [acrylic on cement]
Masks Musing with Swordfish [acrylic on cement with plaster strip masks and tie-dyed bedsheets]
When we're painting murals I kind of go into a zone where colour talks. - A student
Inuit inspired Owl - Detail of Bedsheet Mural entitled Winter Birds for mask installation
"Line and colour can give messages that resonate under the skin."
We follow the format of sharing knowledge, research, and guided meditation.
Masks can be made from any material. Hang on to scraps of interesting textures ...
This project integrates ornithology, science, art, drama, ecology. (Some strands we explored were bone porosity, aerodynamics, flocking, species, evolution, habitat awareness, etc.)
Bed sheet murals are enhanced by bird masks
Masks made of plaster strips ... "I was under the mask for over an hour - it was the best day of my life!" - S
Masks are used to generate character and relationship ...
Students use commentary collected at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education to design and create their mini mural installation.
Mounting pictures of student-made eco-art
Framing in progress
Making a Place for Student Art – Pencil crayons, markers and acrylic paint on sculpted and primed plywood – Permanent installation at University of Toronto – ages 6 – 14
… Integrates themes of biology, art, grace and courtesy through collaboration and community involvement, sustainability, history, geography, language, natural science and arithmetic. Can be adapted to any age.
Mini-murals are on permanent display at The Ontario Institute for Studies in Education
Three out of four 8 x 10 permanent murals mounted in OISE's main hall - based on interviews with faculty and students working in the building ...
Soul of the Sea
Grinning Garden
Feather Frenzy
Variations are endless ... ecosystems, feminine religions, eagles, hands, trees ... spiced with collaboration and surprise ... on bedsheets and walls ...
Floating Girl ... after Banksy ... the best projects are purely student initiated!