On Saturday, March 3, students from Providencia Elementary, Brett Hart Elementary, Jordan Middle School, and Burbank High School installed interactive murals on the third level of the Burbank Town Center.
Art classes from schools in the district have worked together to add color to the mall as it undergoes refurbishments. The 6 ft. x 8 ft. murals vary in themes, showcasing the artistic styles of the students. One mural depicts a political message about equality, while another depicts a flying saucer hovering over a cornfield.
“They were really self-led and they were in charge of what they wanted to illustrate,“ said Burbank High School art structure and art history teacher, Rebecca Platner, who oversaw the district-wide project. “It’s special for them to have their art in a public place.”
Shoppers are encouraged to take part in the interactive murals and post to social media, tagging #BUSDpaintsBTC.
Students and teachers alike invested a lot of their time in creating the murals, totaling about a month between the design and painting process.
“My students submitted design concepts and then we voted on them and we refined them until we got to the one we wanted to work on for the wall,” said Burbank High School visual and performing arts teacher, Jonelle Pickett.
Pickett’s advanced animation class collaborated on a 3D mural depicting a picnic with soda, fries, and a hamburger. CJ Jobelle, a junior, is one of the students who worked on the assignment.
“The overall painting took about three weeks, roughly around that. People were taking turns to paint it,” said Jobelle.
Visitors can attribute the murals to the individual classes who created them, as the school names and grade levels are provided next to each illustration.
“It’s really exciting that under Rebecca’s leadership we were able to get several schools and artists representing their talents to get visual arts into the community,” said Peggy Flynn, arts and career technical education coordinator for BUSD.
“It helps people see the power that art can have in an open space like this.”
Eventually, the wall will come down once space is rented out. Until then, visitors of the Burbank Town Center can admire the creative work of the next generation.
