You may have noticed a beautiful new mural that is prominently displayed in the Senior School atrium.
The mural project was spearheaded by Senior School Art Teacher Angela Jurgensen. She was looking for a project that would allow for the three Senior Art classes to interact and collaborate together. According to Ms. Jurgensen, the mural is a celebration of what “sparks” students at York House, their individual personalities, and the strong bonds they share with each other. Thirty-six students, mostly from Grades 11 and 12, worked cooperatively on each of their “puzzle pieces” and created elaborate designs to convey their ideas. Though the overall theme was the works of Emily Carr, the girls incorporated their own individual themes – their life as a York House girl. Any style could be used, as long as that the same colour palette was used throughout.
The mural’s overall design was created by Jessica, Grade 11. Ms. Jurgensen gave Jessica the following criteria: the mural should have flowing borders and not be contained by any particular shape (i.e. square or rectangle). The Facilities Department provided and cut the wood into pieces. The mural puzzle pieces were divided up for the girls to work on individually. Some girls got chose bigger pieces, others smaller ones. The overall goal was that an observer would not be able to tell where one student stopped, and another started. Everyone has enjoyed seeing the final result and the individual pieces each girl worked on are great conversation starters.
View photos of the process here and read the girls’ reflections on their individual pieces here.
Just before spring break, Grade 9 art students worked together to create a mural for Como Lake Gardens, a YWCA community housing facility for low-income women.