Soaring into the Future: Comegys Eagles Playground, Murals, & Mosaics
The project commenced when the Eagles Youth Partnership chose the Comegys School as the site for its 2012 playground build and visual transformation in January 2012. Initial meetings were held in January with officials from the Comegys school, the EYP, the School District of Philadelphia, and the City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program (MAP) to introduce the project and establish a wish list and a theme for this year’s project. The School Principal, Dean of Students, and select teachers comprised a leadership team that selected a theme for the murals and mosaics: “Working Toward Excellence as We All Soar into the Future.”
In February, McShane set up a schedule and visited the art classes until every class in the school had a chance to do a mural theme-related drawing workshop with me (with the help of their art teacher). McShane then took the several hundred drawings that came out of these workshops to help generate design ideas for the murals.
The chosen theme is explored and expressed throughout all the art designs associated with the project. The interior murals by Mary Noel Ellis Hall focus on “working toward excellence” and feature portraits of African American role models and inspirational quotes. Some of the role models are juxtaposed with portraits of grade school students engaged in an activity that relates to the role model – so, for example, a boy looking into a microscope was placed next to Dr. Ben Carson. This juxtaposition helps students read into the meaning of the design that by working hard in their area of interest (like their role models) that they can become a future role model for the next generation of kids.
The exterior murals (designed by McShane) focus on the “soaring into the future” part of the theme. The murals have earthy garden imagery: vines, grass, plants, and flowers to establish the idea of the Comegys school being a garden of learning. Rising up out of the garden are various creatures in flight: insects, birds, and Comegys student drawings of themselves flying (which were created by students during the art classroom workshops back in February). A selection of the hundreds of drawings that were generated were chosen and dropped into key parts of the exterior mural designs. These drawings of birds and self-portraits of students in flight (along with the other flying imagery) all represent the aspirations and ideas of the students taking flight from the garden of learning. There are also rocket ships, stars, comets, and planets in the mural, representing the idea of the students shooting for their highest ideals and dreams, and that with hard work anything is possible. In some sections of the mural there are clusters of flowers (representing the community of students living together in the garden of learning) that transition into a flock of birds (representing their ideas taking flight) and then transitioning to a constellation of stars (representing their highest aspirations). At key locations in the design are crests – featuring a symbolic bird or insect, a symbolic plant or flower, and a scroll with some text that punctuates parts of the theme ideas. The crest to the left of the main entrance says “soaring into the future” and features a kid’s self-portrait in flight, a kid’s drawing of a rocket, and a set of wings. The crest to the right of the main entrance says “working toward excellence” and features worker bees and a honeycomb, and a coneflower (which helps establish the idea of bees as pollinators – and schools can cross-pollinate ideas from student to student).
There is also a crest in the central part of the largest mural wall (on the corner of 51st and Greenway) that says “awakening our dreams” and features a rooster crowing, a sun rising, and some fanciful flowering plants out of which is flying a rocket on one side and a pelican on the other. Pelicans are interesting symbols – the way that their huge beak-pouch can scoop up large amounts of small fish from the ocean can be a metaphor for students thirsty for knowledge scooping up all the learning that is available to them at school. Pelicans are also symbols of sacrifice (they will feed their young their own blood in times of prolonged food shortage.) Dreams don’t come true without a lot sacrifice that goes hand-in-hand with the hard work required.
Between the cafeteria doors facing the school yard is a crest that says “finding inspiration” featuring a lightning bug with a glowing tail and vines reaching upward toward a lotus flower (symbol of enlightenment). This crest is located near the pressed concrete area where the mosaic tables are situated, and serves as a quieter area for kids to sit during recess and have discussions with classmates, play chess, or study.
Near the next entrance to the right of the cafeteria doors is a crest that says “learning from the past” with the African sankofa bird (symbol of a bird with its head turning backward with a jewel in its mouth). Behind this crest is an African textile embroidery which acknowledges African heritage. The crest itself also features a reed (representing the ancient Nile river and African history) and an oak branch (representing American history). The bottom of the wall facing the playground on the oldest part of the school building features five crests with birds. The two on the ends continue the African theme – with an Egyptian bennu (the African version of the phoenix, a symbol for overcoming adversity) and an African hornbill (a symbol for family unity – the male hornbill actively helps raise the young). The central crest on this wall says “acquiring wisdom” and features an owl and two stalks of wheat (a symbol of learning as food for the mind). The other two crests on this wall each feature a great drawing of an eagle in flight drawn by a Comegys student. Eagles symbolize self-confidence and also serve as an acknowledgement of the playgound sponsors (Eagles Youth Partnership).
There is also a crest on the round wall that projects into the playground from the kindergarten wing that says “playing is learning” and features a bluebird singing (symbol of happiness and creativity) and some trumpet flowers. On either side of the crest is a student drawing of a child at play (in this case, football and basketball, two popular activities that take place on the newly transformed playground. The larger oval wall of the kindergarten wing has a crest that says “learning is transforming” and features a monarch butterfly below an open flower. It also has milkweed plants with a caterpillar and a chrysalis. Around the next corner of the building, on the kindergarten playground wall, is a large peacock (symbol of beauty and pride in self).
The mosaic benches and tables by David Woods and Natalie Wieters reinforce the exterior mural themes, and feature flowers, birds or butterflies, and rockets, stars, and comets. Some of the were handmade by students in the after school art club and will be a way for these students to leave a permanent mark behind them that will be present in the playground transformation long after they graduate from Comegys.
Since 1999, the Philadelphia Eagles (as the Philadelphia Eagles Youth Partnership from 1999-2015) has funded an annual Playground Build that includes the entire Philadelphia Eagles organization, including players, coaches, and staff members, with a Philadelphia school community to transform asphalt school yards into beautiful, imaginative and safe spaces for play and recreation. Mural Arts Philadelphia joined this partnership between the Eagles and the School District of Philadelphia in 2002. Mural Arts leads the development and production of the murals and mosaic tables that are part of these projects. Once a school is selected, Mural Arts leads an introductory pep rally at the school, as well as drawing workshops and after-school art programs with students to involve the school community in developing a theme for the project. Murals are then designed around the theme, often incorporating student drawings and artwork. The projects also include installations of play structures and a mini Eagles turf field in addition to the colorful murals and mosaic tables.