Neighbor News
Hillcrest Students Leave Their Mark Through Graffiti Mural
500 students use positive affirmations to beautify their school through collaboration with local artists.
Over the past two weeks, 500 students at Hillcrest Community School in Peekskill, NY brought color and positive affirmations to life in their school community. Students discussed the history of the Hip Hop culture, with an emphasis on graffiti and the importance of getting permission when creating murals. The students worked together to choose positive words that best described them and painted them up on the almost 100ft mural. Students also signed a pledge that described how they would educate younger and older individuals on how to protect their new community art piece.
The project was made possible by the collaboration between the Peekskill City School District and the Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art's artist in residence program which brought Yonkers-based artists Evan Bishop and Katori Walker in to collaborate with the student’s art teacher Taylor Coleman. Evan has been painting murals since the 1980s and was confident that involving the children in the creative process would create a sense of pride and ownership for the mural.
The final product is a large, colorful mural that spans the length of the playground at Hillcrest. This collaboration is one that the children will remember for many years.
