The St. Anne’s Belfield Mural was completed last week–just in time for the last day of school.   Mrs. Cox and the 8th grade class made a final push to have everyone paint their hand print on the tree and leave their mark.  The “foliage” has filled-out in the last week, and over the years, as other 8th grade classes add their hand prints, the tree will grow into a mature, multi-colored spectacle.

I was very impressed with the dedication from the art kids.  The mural fills the expansive wall of the basketball court area, and offers a more interesting visual landscape.  It’s hard to believe such a mural was completed in only a short series of 45-minute class periods!  Major props to Mrs. Cox!

The mural could not have happened without technical help from Blue Ridge Paint and Decorating, Benjamin Moore, Andrew Lettner Painting, and the on-site assistance from artist Patrick Costello.  I hope to see STAB continue the mural tradition in years to come!

You can read more about the mural collaboration HERE, but check out these pictures:

The main design, worked up by a smaller group of art-minded students from the 8th grade, will incorporate a large tree in a landscape settin that would incorporate each year’s class mascot.  So while this year’s class will do the majority of the painting, next year’s class will paint their mascot on the wall in what will begin a long line of school mascots that parade down a road.  Apart from that clever and collaborative idea, students will also “make their mark” by leaving a hand print on the wall.  The hand prints will actually form the leaves of a large tree which stretches across the width of the mural.

Kim Cox (below), the middle school art teacher, is leading the 8th Grade in this mural adventure!  The CMP has also hired Patrick Costello (pictured on the scaffolding) to help provide technical assistance and on-site advice.

We’ll be updating the progress throughout the next four weeks.  Considering how much was painted in just the first day, I think we’ll soon see the tree and maybe even the mascot details added in two weeks.  It’s been such a great time working with the students who are genuinely excited and focused on creating the mural.  Some kids even skipped lunch because they were so engrossed in the painting!

Handmade smock?

-The first mural will be a collaboration with St. Anne’s Belfield School.  The middle school Arts teacher, Kim Cox, asked the CMP for assistance on a large-scale mural project to be completed by the current 8th grade.  The wall sits on the outdoor basketball courts and will be an interactive piece that each graduation 8th grade class throughout the years will contribute to!  Local artist and muralist, Patrick Costello will be helping with the project.

- The second mural will be a collaboration with The Bridge’s Southwood Community outreach coordinator, Alexandra Triana.  She works with kids from the Southwood Community at the Boys and Girls Club.  Starting this Spring, she is planning an outdoor mural with the theme “Summer.”  We’ll be assisting her with some early planning stages, the application, and general management.  We’re excited to see what they come up with!

- The third mural will have a specific audience: the Amtrak passengers.  A resident of the Star Hill neighborhood contacted the CMP wanting to do a public art piece on the side of her house.  The unique thing about the wall is its clear visibility from the Amtrak platform.  Together, we thought it would be neat to create a mural that spoke to the train passengers.  It will either be a message greeting the passengers as they arrive in town, or wishing them a farewell as they leave Charlottesville.  We’re working with a very talented sign and typography artist, Heidi Tullman, who is currently brainstorming on some designs.

- The fourth mural will be the most extensive, and our biggest project in 2012.  Unfortunately, we have not finalized a location, but due to the subject of the mural, we are hoping we can land a wall on Water Street.  This mural will commemorate the 40th Anniversary of the Clean Water Act.  The CMP is partnering with the Rivanna River Basin Commission, the Rivanna Conservation Society, and StreamWatchto produce the mural.  Together, we hope the mural will create more awareness within Charlottesville for the Clean Water Act and the important Rivanna river basin that we interact with everyday.

We are also excited to be partnering with local artist, Kaki Domick, also known by a lot of folks in town as the Director of  The Haven.  Kaki creates incredibly imaginative worlds in her drawings, melding the animal world with the natural world.  We can’t wait to see her sketches as she works through this winter and spring on a final design.

Keep your eyes out for a Kickstarter campaign later this summer and help us raise the funds to complete this massive mural.