Mural Project Reflection

I was personally very thankful to have been a part of this process. I love the fact that this project benefitted so many individuals and that UNCSA was able to reach out to a community outside of its own through this mural. I really believe in the saying that "there is power in numbers", and this project very much illustrates that concept. By bringing in the expertise of a professional artist (as wonderful as Kendall) who is based in the Winston-Salem community, as well as bridging together Dr. Levin's and Dr. Wakeford’s Paths to the Present classes, and drawing in teachers and students from the ABS, the entire collaboration brought people of all ages together.

Now, I know that the mural bears significance to educating people on matters of the history and philosophy of science as well as on the urban experience, but what I think it did best was to educate people on interrelational skills. To be quite honest, as is the case with undertaking new projects with many people involved, I had moments of doubt regarding the logistics of the project. During the brainstorming sessions, I was overwhelmed by the amount of ideas and wondered how it would be possible to incorporate the different visions of so many individuals. I can gladly say that there should have been no doubt in my mind that the project would come together so smoothly and so well. I was really inspired by the ideas of my peers and how willing so many of them were to pitch in and help, despite our lack of experience with mural work.

I felt like Kendall, Dr. Levin, and Dr. Wakeford facilitated the process very well, where the voices of the students were heard and well incorporated into the artwork. I was also very thankful to be given a new creative outlet that is not part of my norm. Aside from the fact that I had to think of ways to incorporate material I was learning from class into a visual representation rather than through words (which is not something I am very used to doing outside of dance--my art form), I was thankfully stretched to be part of an excellent team. I loved that his project exemplified the value of art in an academia setting and took advantage of the fact that UNCSA is an art school; therefore, why not use the arts to educate individuals on the sciences, history, philosophy, etc.? It allows students to better process new information by integrating it in a tangible way.

Finally, I will share my favorite part of the whole experience, but before I do so, I would like to mention why I am not commenting on the mural specifically. First of all, I hope that the mural speaks for itself, and that spectators can draw whatever interpretations they want from it, for that is the beauty of art. This mural is not meant to be a black and white interpretation of a particular idea, rather it incorporates so many ideas that I will not even begin to share some of them in this post. Instead, in addition to the idea that the mural is a work of art with room for interpretation, my favorite part of this whole project was the end result.

I really hope that UNCSA made a lasting and positive impression on the sixth graders of the ABS, because I know that they made one on me, at least. I was so incredibly blown away by their mural and I was so grateful for their visit along with their teachers. I really feel as though this project reminded me of how universal some things about humanity are, and it made me feel more connected to the UNCSA community as well as to the Winston-Salem community. What impressed me was the fact that age didn't matter when it came to making a statement or adding significance, because in this collaboration there were young students, older students, professionals, and instructors from all kinds of levels of education and backgrounds working together to share a message. Everyone had an opportunity to contribute regardless of their level of knowledge or expertise, and through the process everyone was given the opportunity to learn and grow in knowledge and expertise. Overall, I am thankful for the project because it brought people together most of all and it educated and enriched many people if they allowed themselves to be affected by it. I hope to be part of another collaboration like this in my other academic classes outside of my major if at all possible, and hopefully UNCSA and the ABS will continue to develop a relationship that will be beneficial to each other and to the Winston-Salem community.