Big Changes to the Collaborative Work of Art

In December, the Art Honor Society began a collective mural destined for The Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin. The Art Service Club has now added their touch to the mural.

This nine panel mural will eventually be worked on by art students across all levels of the school district. The mural consists of a city theme with a park, construction area, small shops and residential area. 

For the past two Mondays, the middle school has added the finer more intricate details like the cars, architectural framework and people to the backdrop created by the high school students.

Following this week, the mural will travel on to all three Greendale grade schools. “We don’t have much time left to complete the major elements before the grade school kids will finish the mural all together,” explained Nicole Lehtinen art teacher at the middle school and director of the Art Service Club. “The younger kids will add some of the small more decorative details like clouds in the sky.”  

The work is due to be completed by March. The exhibition will be a part of a monthly rotating exhibit hosted by Children’s Hospital.  After the month has ended, the mural will return to the school district. “I really hope they return the mural to the middle school because we have a lot of room for it,” said Lehtinen. The permanent home for the mural has yet to be decided.

When asked if the students were worried about the changes the grade school children would undoubtedly make to the work, Kamilah Lay, eighth grader in the art club, proclaimed, “I’m excited to see the way they add to the mural. It’s going to be great however it turns out!”

In the final hour and half before the Art Service Club ended its session, the rough outlines drawn and painted by the high school students were transformed into glittering landscapes. The eighth graders used a variety of different mediums including paper scraps, paint and pens to create a dynamic cityscape ready for the finishing touches of the grade school artists.