Dr. Kathleen Petka

Each fall semester, I make the Wyland National Art and Mural Challenge a focus for my students. The Wyland Foundation seeks to protect, and preserve oceans, waterways, and marine life around the world. I usually have my National Art Honor Society (NAHS) members work on it. This contest teaches them to use art for good by promoting a positive message in hopes that we can make important changes for our planet. It also challenges them by working on a large scale and collaborating as a group.

The contest calls for the murals to be at least 4 x 8' (1 x 2 m), and anyone who signs up early enough will be entered into a drawing to receive a Fredrix mural canvas.

Students are proud when they see the finished product and enjoy working together to make the school a more welcoming place.

I admire marine life artist Robert Wyland’s work and his impressive career, and as an educator, it is my job to introduce students to contemporary artists and the impact they have on our communities. Wyland has dedicated his career to such a wonderful and worthy cause: to teach his viewers to appreciate the beauty of our marine life and how we must take care of our earth. Through his message about caring for our planet, Wyland has become an influential artist. Students see his large-scale murals and recognize the impact he has in communicating his message.

My students have won this nationwide contest four times, and we are hoping for a fifth. Itʼs not all about winning, but itʼs awesome when we do. Students are proud when they see the finished product and enjoy working together to make the school a more welcoming place. I get so many compliments from faculty and students when we display the murals in the hallways. The students have even had their photos appear in the local newspaper.

I usually introduce Wyland to my students and focus on his message about conservation and how we need to protect our planet. I ask students to create rough drafts of possible mural signs, and my co-presidents select their favorites. The goal is to incorporate parts of the various ideas to create one awesome design.

We had some donated hexagon shapes, so I wanted students to incorporate them into the design. I showed my co-presidents the mural from years ago when we recreated a Monet painting. Back then, I divided up the painting, and each student received a small rectangular-shaped canvas of Monet’s painting. When we put them together, the different colors created a unified message. This previous collaborative mural inspired our newest design. This time, each student worked on individual hexagons that came together to form a complete design.

My co-presidents divided up the hexagons, and we had a meeting with our NAHS chapter to share the plan and our intended product. Because we were pressed for time, one of the co-presidents lightly sketched the plan on each hexagon so they would align. They also assigned multiple hexagons to each student. These pieces were small enough for students to take home to work on.

We installed our mural right outside our visual art room, welcoming people as they enter. I have had numerous teachers stop by and compliment me on the beauty of our mural. Itʼs a favorite of mine, and I love that we were able to use donated material to complete it. Repurposing or upcycling this material aligns with Wyland’s message of conservation. The students are pleased that they came together to use their talents and skills to communicate an important message.

Dr. Kathleen Petka is a visual art teacher at Walton High School in Marietta, Georgia. kathleen.petka@cobbk12.org; Instagram: @walton_art

Murals with Meaning: Empowering Students through Collaborative Art