ARTREACH WORKS WITH 6TH GRADERS AT JOHN J. MONTGOMERY ELEMENTARY ON COLORFUL WELCOME MURAL
JANUARY 2022
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The ArtReach Mural Program’s recent mural is being unveiled at John J. Montgomery Elementary. Over 50 students helped inspire the design and paint the welcome mural. This serves as a contribution and legacy gift for their whole campus community.
The Welcome Mural
The ribbon-cutting at the school is the culmination and celebration of the whole creative campus, as John J. Montgomery is an arts-focused and designated Turnaround Arts: California school. Student speakers, and a special performance by the Opus Project with the San Diego Youth Symphony will also be highlighted at the event.
ArtReach, a not-for-profit arts education program, has been providing free or low cost in-class and mural instruction since 2007. They focus on Title 1 Schools that have no other resources for visual art education.
The Welcome Mural is the second ArtReach mural on campus. Both murals were designed by Tawianese-American artist, Liesel Plambeck. It features themes that are important to the community of John J. Montgomery- the arts, music, hope, community, the ocean, and school pride with the eagle mascot.
The designs were created using words, drawings and ideas from students as well as school staff during mural workshops. Each and every 6th grader at John J. Montgomery Elementary participated in the process of designing and physically painting the mural.
Dr. Lydia Burgos, John. J Montgomery principal said:
“The ArtReach mural projects at Montgomery have united us around a shared value of caring. Caring for each other and caring for our campus. The pandemic separated us and our murals allowed us to come together in an effort to have our spaces reflect who we are. Educators and families know that students grow when they feel safe and seen. Our murals are a reflection of that effort.”
Notable Partners:
- Turnaround Arts California– Helped fund both ArtReach murals at John J Montgomery.
- Knockaround– donated a new pair of sunglasses for every 6th grade artist to keep.
- Liesel Plambeck- Mural Artist Partner and Lead Muralist for both Montgomery murals.
About the ArtReach Mural Program:
The ArtReach Mural Program believes in the power of community and art to change lives and spaces. A mural provides an opportunity for people to work together while creating something transformative and lasting for their site. The ArtReach Mural Program works directly with youth at schools and community centers to dream-up large collaborative works that represent their vision.
For more information on ArtReach’s mural program, visit artreachsandiego.org/mural-programs or @artreachsd on social media.
With stay-at-home orders still well under way, one local art program is finding ways for its students to continue their lessons.
ArtReach collaborates with students of Pacific View Leadership Elementary to create a distance mural where students painted virtually via Zoom.
When the San Diego Unified School District shut down all of its schools on March 16 to prevent the spread of coronavirus, nothing about the mural planned for a wall on the campus of the Pacific View Leadership Elementary School in Paradise Hills happened the way it was supposed to.