Mural
Residency
"Reach for your star, Porgue con ganas si se puede!" (Because with determination you can succeed)
School Residency-Two weeks
Day 1:
I will begin with a presentation that explains what art is to me. That it’s about creativity, imagination, self expression, problem solving, story telling, and learning. I will then show the students slides of murals and drawings that demonstrate how artist tell stories and use their imaginations to create art. I like to encourage the students to think out of the box. Then I will give the students the theme and ask them to create images that depict the theme.
Days
2-3
I will go through all the drawings and chose the ones I feel followed the theme and will work best for the mural. With core group of about 6-8 students, I will give them the drawings choosing one that will be the starting point for the design. I will allow them to work by themselves and develop the design. I will then go back to the core group and help the students by showing them what works and what doesn’t. Then I will help them finalize the design for the mural. We will add real people to be the figures on the design. I will have students pose for the mural and take photos of them. This personalizes the mural and I find that students and staff really enjoy looking for students in the mural.
Days 4-5
We will transfer the design to the panels or wall, using transparencies and over head projectors.
Days
6-10
We will then paint the mural. As we paint, I will show the students some of my painting techniques and how to create balance with color. During residency, I can also do a presentation to other grades. I start off by doing a slide presentation and then I read a story I wrote titled "The Day I Found My Dream". After reading the story, I then have students chose any part of the story and have them illustrate it. This is an exercise in listening and remembering.
Residency can be extended to three or four weeks-this allows for more time for design and to paint the mural. We can choose a day to dedicate the mural. It can be on the last day of residency or I can come back on a later day. If I come back on a later date, there will be an additional fee.
