Students and teachers at Burbank High School dedicated a new mural made in collaboration with Nickelodeon interns and artists on Thursday, April 18. Students from all of the Burbank High School Arts programs, including dance, film, instrumental and visual arts disciplines, celebrated with performances and an open-air art and performance space at the after school event.
The huge mural covers the quad-facing façade of the Building 2 Arts Building and wraps around towards the Wolfson Auditorium entry way.
“The mural represents the spirit of creativity that is the foundation of our arts at Burbank High School,” commented Jonelle Pickett, BHS Animation & Sculpture Instructor. “It is the determined thought, reflection and revision, combined with skill and dedication, that allows ALL our student artists to envision and produce extraordinary representations in a variety of artistic formats.”
“While our art forms may look divided by discipline, we are actually at root very much united in our quest to allow our students powerful ways to envision ideas and express themselves,” she added.
“Dance, drama, vocal and instrumental music, digital design and film arts, broadcast journalism, drawing, painting, sculpture, animation, and theater tech – our students find their place to belong, to create and to shine.”
“The new mural acts as an umbrella that reminds us of this unity as it now greets students to class and guests to performances,” Pickett said.
The mural was sponsored by Nickelodeon Community Efforts (NICE) and is the first student-designed and -led NICE mural project.
Senior Ana Cristina Varela, a fourth year BHS Animation student, designed the mural and “ran the entire project – from concept meetings, material lists, and scheduling to directing the painting process – and also oversaw all the mural designed artwork,” explained Pickett.
About 20 Nickelodeon interns and artists and more than 35 Burbank High School Animation and Sculpture students worked together over one week to bring the mural to fruition.
“BHS students were side by side with interns and artists, discussing their passion for their art form, as well as educational pathways and future possibilities,” added Pickett. “This mural transformed a space as well as minds.”
Burbank High Animation students also created a short film, t-shirts and a Snapchat filter to promote the BHS Arts collaboration.
The BHS Animation students’ film can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/KfrsHs2Iarg.
