Mother Nature as Inspiration

As a high-school teacher, it is always fun to see former students doing exciting things within the art world. I was happy when I heard that one graduate, Ivan Montoya, was creating a mural in the historic Eastern Market in Detroit. I stopped by his jobsite to see the work in progress, and I thought it was skillful, imaginative, and truly inspirational. An idea started to brew.

Collaboration Beginnings
Students are always enthusiastic about mural painting, and it had been ten years since our art department took on such a project. I had recently heard grumbling from both students and my school administration about wanting to beautify our white cinderblock walls. I knew firsthand how much work creating a mural was and who would shoulder the brunt of it—me. This knowledge, and not having a concept in mind, made me hesitant to begin. But once I saw Ivan’s work, an idea was born. Would he work with my students to design something for us to paint?

I approached Ivan to see if he would be interested in a collaboration and, fortunately for us, he liked the idea. Students and I thought it was important to respect his status as a working artist and told him we wanted to hire him. Our chapter of the National Art Honor Society (NAHS) enthusiastically raised the money through an art show and auction.

Choosing a Theme
The NAHS discussed themes and ideas to give Ivan guidance. This was also a way for them to gain art-as-work experience. Ivan used their ideas to create several unique designs. The one the group liked best centered around a female figure representing the process of creation. She is surrounded by objects that represent different disciplines such as the arts, math, science, and literature. We wanted to show that all disciplines are equally important and are connected by their creative nature.

To drum up excitement within the school community, we posted the chosen design on our webpage and had online voting for parents and students to choose their favorite color scheme. More than four hundred people voted!

In January 2020, Ivan came in after school and projected the design onto the wall. He worked with students and traced the image with permanent markers. My co-teacher, Sarah Koch, had connections with a paint store and mixed the exact colors we needed. We quickly began painting, and then...the COVID-19 pandemic struck. Our mural stalled and sat unfinished for the rest of the school year.

A Fresh Start
With all the uncertainty at the start of the following school year, I hesitated to resume the project. The mural sat, with just one color added, for almost a year. In January 2021, instruction began to get a bit more normalized and daily attendance returned. One of my most ambitious and motivated seniors, Gabbi Thomas, approached me saying she wanted to finish it during her independent study class. If anyone could make this happen, it was her, and I happily agreed.

The completed mural is in a busy hallway that leads to the lunchrooms. Gabbi worked on it during the school day, so students were able to see her daily progress. As it came to life, it was fun to see and hear staff and students comment as they walked past. Gabbi was determined to finish it before the end of the school year and realized she needed to assemble a crew. We were fortunate to have several dedicated students, some of whom even came back after the school year had ended to finish the mural.

If you ever visit Adlai Stevenson High School, please take a stroll down G-Hall to see our mural. This was a wonderful experience that would not have happened without Ivan, Gabbi, our newest art teacher, Kathyrn Salvia, and the encouragement and hard work of many Stevenson SpARTans.