Art Wing Mural Project Nearing Completion

Over the past year, Scituate High School students have walked through the art hallway and watched a beautiful mural unfold before their eyes. As this SHS Art Club project comes to an end, the contributing artists were asked to comment on their experience with the piece and what it means to them.

Throughout the completion of this mural, various club members said they learned important lessons–including teamwork with fellow artists, time management, and project planning. To SHS junior Alexandra (Sasha) Afanasenko, the mural is a way for students to come together and create–as well as inspire other young artists to start their own projects. She hopes the mural will inspire everyone who sees it.

The main goal was to create an artistic space where students can create their own art, whether it be music, drawing, painting, etc. During this project, Afanasenko said, “I learned more about different art styles, especially when it comes to using paint, which I wasn’t very experienced with before.” Afanasenko contributed to the making of the centerpiece of the mural, which she found great enjoyment in: “It was the first time I was able to paint during a big art project, especially on such a large scale,” she explained, and her opinion was shared by many other contributors. 

SHS Art Club Co-President, senior Erin Gibbons, said, “The mural has been a time-consuming project which has allowed club members to form close friendships.” In addition to working on the mural this past spring, the students came in over the summer to work on the mural in “hopes that the mural will be finished by the holidays.” This goal, however, did not prove to be attainable, as conflicting schedules, especially during the beginning of this school year, have prevented a lot of progress.

Junior Ciara Hughes agrees that time restrictions were their greatest obstacle: “The only real time in school we could work on it is during H Block, but most of that time is used setting up and cleaning up rather than actually painting.” Hughes added, “We have tried to come in on the weekend to work on it more, but that’s very hard to organize.” According to Afanasenko, “Most of the painting is finished,” so club members just need to fine-tune, add the finishing touches, and outline the mural in order to give it a bolder feeling that makes it pop. 

Afanasenko said the most unique aspect of this piece is how each of the artists working on the project was able to have their own collage boxes, giving them the ability to express their own styles. Gibbons added that even though the mural is “still a work in progress,” she believes one of her favorite parts is going to be the thermal-colored slime that borders the piece. The border has been specifically designed to tie in with the rest of the piece and “add to its cohesiveness.” 

In the beginning stages of the mural, lots of preliminary sketches were drawn, says Gibbons. Since then, there have been some minor changes to the design. Hughes commented, “Looking at the original sketch of the wall versus how it’s coming along now, it’s amazing to see how much has changed and I think it will look great when it is done.” It is fair to say that the entire Scituate High School community is eager with anticipation to see the final product.