2025 Mural Project
Connecting with and investing in the local community is what this project was all about. Three local artists were selected to facilitate separate collaborative art mural projects from start to finish. All supplies were provided along with a monetary award to each of the chosen artists.
Funded by The Alabama State Council on the Arts.
Artists in Local Schools
In early April 2025, selected artists visited local schools to introduce themselves, share their artwork, and engage with students. Students interacted with the artists and also shared their own creative ideas for the murals.
Three schools participated, and each artist was assigned to one school.
Student Inspired Murals
During the school visits, selected artists engaged with students as they created their own mini-murals on paper, exploring their personal ideas of beauty. All classroom sessions in this project were led by art educator, Ruth Jatib O’Connor.
Following the visits, artists had several weeks to develop a mural design inspired by the students’ concepts. Artists were also responsible for preparing a transfer method to outline their mural design at the chosen public location.
Artists had to blend student creativity with their own artistic vision to make this project a success!
Preparing The Canvas
The developed design was then translated in outlines to the mural location and color coded, ready for the community painting event.
Executing the Design
Students and members of the community participated in painting the mural, essentially filling in the lines the artist prepared.
This mural project was part of the grant “Making Tuscaloosa Beautiful: Bridging Literacy and the Power of the Arts” funded by The Alabama State Council on the Arts (ASCA). Facilitated by Art Educator Ruth Jatib O’Connor and Dr. Cheryl Fondren, Executive Director of Success by Six, The United Way of West Alabama.