Mural, Connections Gallery unveiled at Roosevelt

Middle school and high school students collaborate on art projects

“You guys have done so much for Roosevelt,” stated Candida Gonzalez as she presented artists Greta McClain and Claudia Valentine with school t-shirts. “We want you to be teddies forever.” (Photo by Tesha M. Christensen)

by Tesha M. Christensen

  

 “Tonight we’re here celebrating two big projects,” said Roosevelt High School’s International Baccalaureate (IB) Coordinator Candida Gonzalez on Wednesday evening, May 28, 2014.

Two pieces of artwork were added at Roosevelt this spring: a mural in the front entryway and the Connections Gallery on the front lawn. The Connections Gallery is still under construction.

EMBODYING THE SCHOOL MOTTO

The mural was created under the leadership of artist Greta McClain and her assistant Claudia Valentino in partnership with school art teachers and students.

The portraits of several students are part of this mixed-media mural that combines paint and mosaic pieces.  Five languages are featured, reflecting the student body and those who worked on the project.

In February, students drew their ideas out on large poster paper. Then, McLain drew up the overall design and students used her drawings to assemble the mosaic parts of the piece. Roosevelt students worked on it on Mondays and Thursdays, Green Central Students on Tuesdays and Sanford students on Wednesdays. Students from Northrup also participated. In April, the drawing was transferred to the wall of the front entryway and the painting began. The mosaic parts, featuring colored tile, dishes, mirrors, marbles and glass pieces, were added next.

“They took the IB learner profile attributes, they imagined what they’d look like, and they put them on the wall,” stated Gonzalez.

Gilles Mally, a junior at Roosevelt High School who is originally from Africa, was honored on May 28 for working on the mural every day till the end of the day.

“Gille embodies our motto at Roosevelt,” stated Gonzalez. “Enter to learn. Leave to serve.”

“It’s my way to help the community,” stated Mally.

Gonzalez noted that when she first viewed the question now above the front doorway -- “How will I impact my world?” -- she started crying. “I think the effect its going to have on students will be noticeable,” stated Gonzalez. “The questions are so thought provoking and really evoke the kind of experiences we want kids to have at Roosevelt.”

“This is how school spaces can change,” agreed Roosevelt art teacher Jaci Smolund.

Lindsay Walz of Creative Hearts is excited about how the mural will bring the neighborhood and school community together more. She pointed out that it sets a vibrant and energetic tone to the school right away when people walk inside.

“I loved the making of it because it pulls people in,” stated muralist McClain. Each person who works on the project then wants to take care of the place and take ownership, she added.

A great part of every mural project she embarks upon is that “there’s something for everyone,” she said. 

The mural at Roosevelt was special for her because she actually stepped back for part of it when she gave birth to her first child. “Leadership rose up. I loved that,” said McClain. 

CONNECTED BY ART

The Connections Gallery installation on the front lawn is a permanent structure with changeable components that Roosevelt, Minneapolis Public Schools and the community can use to make connections through art. Artwork from community members and students will be featured on a rotating basic inside 14 metal frames that are divided into smaller cells of acrylic panels.

The idea for the gallery was sparked by students in 2012. It was created in collaboration with Forecast Public Art and Seward artist Randy Walker (who was selected by students). In addition to a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board and an anonymous donor, 152 community members donated $8,583 through a Kickstarter Campaign.

“I really love the Connections Gallery,” said Walz. “It will enrich the neighborhood and be a source of inspiration for passersby.”

Flynn Piper was one of the third graders from Northrup who came over to Roosevelt one day to work on the mural. “It was fun,” said Piper. “I learned that it is very fun and hard to crack the plates.” (Photo by Tesha M. Christensen)

 

Roosevelt health teacher Kari Anderson (left), student Shalaya Love and student Raziel Rayland read a poem composed by students during the unveiling on May 28, 2014. (Photo by Tesha M. Christensen)

Story published in the July Edition of the Longfellow/Nokomis Messenger.

Students create mural at Roosevelt

Middle school and high school students collaborate with local artist Greta McLain

by Tesha M. Christensen

  

Students are adding a mural to the front entry of Roosevelt High School.

Not only have they put time and effort into this piece of art, but it’s one that captures who they are. The portraits of several students are part of this mixed-media mural that combines paint and mosaic pieces.

The work in the entryway at Roosevelt caught the eye of junior Jocelyn Pliego one day in early April 2014, and that same day she decided to grab a paintbrush and lend a hand. She’d never worked on a mural before.

What excites her about this project? “It’s going to be here a pretty long time,” Pliego noted.

It was easy to recruit Gilles Mally for the project. “I just love painting,” explained Mally, a junior, who added that he loves not only the colors but everything about painting. “So, I decided to be a part of this amazing art.”

Claudia Valentino

STUDENTS ASSIST WITH DESIGN

Over 44 middle school and high school students partnered with art teachers and muralist Greta McLain and her assistant Claudia Valentino on this mural. McLain (www.gretamclain.com) grew up in Minneapolis, and earned an art degree from the University of California - Davis. She uses muralism as a means of sharing with and drawing from her community. Locally, she created the mural on the Mercado at Bloomington and Lake that was installed last fall.

Artists McLain and Valentino worked with Roosevelt students to come up with visual ideas based on the International Baccalaureate (IB) Program at Roosevelt. “Since Roosevelt is an IB School, the main inspiration was to show students, families and visitors what the characteristics of an IB student are,” explained Roosevelt art teacher Jaci Smolund. They include these traits: responsible, principled, knowledgeable, risk taker, inquirer, open minded, caring, balanced, reflective and communicator; as well as the Roosevelt motto: Enter to Learn, Leave to Serve.

“Our principal Michael Bradley was looking for ways to add more art to the school,” commented Smolund. “He saw some of Greta's other murals and knew it would be a beautiful element to have at the main entrance.”

According to Roosevelt Principal Michael, the learning structure around this project is an opportunity for Green Central and Sanford students to use art to see themselves in the mission and vision of Roosevelt High School and the International Baccalaureate (IB) Program.

COLLABORATIVE PROCESS

In February, students drew their ideas out on large poster paper and those drawings were then taken to Green Central and Sanford so that the middle school students could add their ideas. Then, McLain drew up the overall design and students used her drawings to assemble the mosaic parts of the piece. Roosevelt students worked on it on Mondays and Thursdays, Green Central Students on Tuesdays and Sanford students on Wednesdays.

In April, the drawing was transferred to the wall of the front entryway and the painting began. The mosaic parts, featuring colored tile, dishes, mirrors, marbles and glass pieces, were added next.

“The mural design has actual Roosevelt students posing while portraying the learner profiles,” Smolund said. “For example a girl balancing on a unicycle and a thoughtful student reading a text book. There are also butterflies, a large bird, words and other symbols.

ART FOR EVERYONE

Sanford will be adopting its Middle Year Program next fall and many of its students will attend Roosevelt in the future. “Students have explored the themes of the IB Learner Profile through each stage of the project, reflecting on its meanings and connections to their lives, and to the artwork,” remarked Sanford art teacher Marlene Maloney. “The mural will be a part of our community's daily visual experience of Roosevelt High School, the artwork itself will be in communication with students and staff by underlining the IB Learner identity and its link to a strong and successful school community.”

“Greta is amazing at creating art for communities. She makes it clear that the piece is for everybody to share and everybody is welcome to help,” said Smolund. “The Roosevelt students are getting to create a permanent piece of artwork and the middle school students can look forward to seeing what they've done when they come to high school.

“Most importantly, everybody has been having a lot of fun participating in making something really beautiful.”

Maloney is pleased that this project has given her students the opportunity to work closely with a professional artist and older Roosevelt students in a small-group environment in the after-school Art Club program. 

In March, about 30 parents and staff attended an open workshop at Sanford to experience the process. They used cool cutting tools and added their piece to the project.  “The event demonstrated the high level of engagement and excitement from the students as they taught their teachers and parents about the process and how to use the tools to create mosaic,” said Maloney. 

“It has been an awesome experience for us so far and we look forward to celebrate the unveiling at the end of May.”

The community is invited to attend the unveiling of this artwork and the Connections Gallery (see sidebar) on May 28 from 5-8 p.m. (tentative time).

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Connections Gallery to open this spring at Roosevelt 

A second art project two and a half years in the making will also be finished this spring.

The Connections Gallery by the front door at Roosevelt High School will offer artwork and a bench to reflect.

In collaboration with Forecast Public Art and artist Randy Walker, the Connections Gallery installation will be a permanent structure with changeable components that Roosevelt, Minneapolis Public Schools and the community can enjoy, use and access to make connections through art and across curriculum.

In addition to a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board and an anonymous donor, 152 community members donated $8,583 through a Kickstarter Campaign.

In 2012, students at Roosevelt began exploring issues of community art with artist residencies facilitated by Forecast Public Art, a non-profit organization that connects artists to communities through public art. As the discussions developed, students and faculty hatched the idea of having a permanent public art installation at Roosevelt. Artist Randy Walker, a fiber and mixed media artist who has created temporary and permanent installations throughout the United States (including the rocket at Brackett Park in the Seward neighborhood), was selected by students and staff to be the lead artist on the project.

The final design shows 14 metal frames radiating outwards like wheel spokes from a large circular open air gallery. Like a rice paper screen or stained glass window each metal frame is divided into a smaller cells of acrylic panels. Within these panels students will be able to insert pictures, words or anything that they can create on paper. Attached to each panel a strand of colored fiber will be woven through the top of the sculpture connecting to another panel elsewhere on the sculpture. These fibrous connections will be moved and rewoven to make different connections as the art and content in the frames is changed.

It is designed for people to use it as an evolving and ever changing gallery and record of art making and relationships among people and ideas -- reflecting the community’s past, present, and future. 

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This story was printed in the May edition of the Longfellow/Nokomis Messenger.

http://www.longfellownokomismessenger.com/students-create-mural-at-roosevelt/