IS 201: As I Learn and Grow (1 of 2)

Students from I.S. 201 explored concepts of self representation and processes of transformation. Each week during class sessions, students created individual artworks that eventually led into group projects and group art pieces.

To represent transformation, students came up with the ideas ranging from a bird hatching from an egg and taking flight and a caterpillar undergoing metamorphosis to become a butterfly. Students were inspired by the transformations that animals undergo in the natural world.

The mural opens with a large wave; many students gravitated toward water elements in their artworks. One group of students were passionate about efforts for the conservation of coral reefs and their design is woven into this section of the mural. A whale emerges from the wave, flying through the sky, holding an orb of light, representing imagination. Students selected the quote by Einstein: “Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited, whereas imagination embraces the entire world.” As the mural progresses, there is a bridge depicted in the center, built from books- showing the transformations stories can bring. Two hands hold a lotus, as if passing it to the other. Students designed this imagery to represent feelings of peace, tranquility, and serenity- and the waters calming.

On the right side, the scene transitions into a cityscape, decorated with lights and lanterns. A group of students designed a festival, to represent joy and celebration. Here students came up with the quote: “Achieve Beyond Wonder”, echoing the school’s values on student achievement and academic excellence.

To connect the two murals together, students had the idea of a portal that opens on each side. Stars and light bulbs will pass through the opening, to tie the two walls together.. On the other side of the hallway, the mural continues as the landscape transitions to outer space. This was a recurring theme in many student designs, and amongst the planets there are imaginary planets of student invention, a paint palette disguised as a planet, and an ammonite fossil, representing the golden ratio- a concept that unites the expression of math in nature and art. On the rings of Saturn, there is a quote: “Your dreams go farther than the universe”, which was created by a group of students in the school’s SEAL program.

The scene transitions one final time (it is a long hallway). To connect the outer space imagery, and bring it to earth, we have the planet Earth, with a tree full of stars as the transition point. The tree was also a recurring element in student artworks, and the tree of stars was a group design, which they called a wisdom tree. On this side of the wall, we depict more imagery showing processes of transformation in nature- the bird hatching and taking flight, and the caterpillar transitioning to cocoon and emerging as a butterfly. There is one final quote, selected by another group of students: “There is always light- if only we’re brave enough to see it.” Students shared that they feel stressed sometimes, overwhelmed by schoolwork, relations, and everything that seems to be happening in life and in the world. They hope this quote and this mural will remind future generations of students that transformations happen, and there is always light, peace, inspiration around the corner- if only we have the imagination and bravery to see it.