Art Education Program Blossoms in Philly Schools

Jay Cooke Elementary students with their final portraits! Led by artist NaBrayah Jones.

Mural Arts’ Art Education has been hard at work bringing art programs to schools across Philadelphia! Here are some updates on projects that happened in the Fall of 2023 and will continue into the new year.

Jay Cooke Elementary School - Fall 2023

With Artist NaBrayah Jones

Students learned how to frame their photographs.

Our Local Exposure program had the pleasure of hosting photographer NaBrayah Jones at Jay Cooke Elementary school. Over the course of four visits, NaBrayah taught the students about portrait photography, including creating a successful portrait shoot, interviewing their subjects, and framing photographs. This workshop resulted in a series of portraits photographed of students, by students, which will be showcased in the Student Exhibition in Spring 2024.

Photos from Jay Cooke Elementary

Students photographed each other outside their school and in the surrounding community.
A Cooke student photographed by Mahogany.
A Cooke student photographed by Deborah.
A Cooke student photographed by London.
A Cooke student photographed by Gabrielle.

Franklin S Edmonds School - Fall 2023-Spring 2024

With Artist Isabella Akhtarshenas

Future mural site at Edmonds, coming spring 2024.

Following the successful completion of a paper making and character design workshop in Spring 2023, Isabella Akhtarshenas has returned to Franklin S Edmonds School to co-create a mural with students. Following this year’s Art Education theme of ‘Fairy Tales and Folklore’, as well as the additional theme of ‘Black is Beautiful’, Isabella visited students during Art Ed’s Fall 2023 session to create an image bank. Many students were excited to use digital design and illustration software for the first time. The image bank will act as a resource for Isabella and the students to draw from as they work towards completing a mural in spring 2024. “I look forward to highlighting how collaborative this project was. We developed the motifs together and had lots of group discussions about how to best represent the themes. Not only did I have the privilege of inspiring this group of young students, they inspired me significantly!,” says Isabella.

Sample images created by Edmonds students during the fall session, to be used as reference for the forthcoming mural.

Southwark School - Fall 2023-Spring 2024

With Artist Cindy Stockton Moore

Artist visit at Southwark School. Photo by Gavin Wilson.

Following the successful completion of a workshop at Kensington Health Sciences Academy wherein students learned how to forage and create their own dyes, Visiting Artist Cindy Stockton Moore returned to work with Mural Arts Philadelphia at Southwark School. While considering the theme of ‘Fairy Tales and Folklore,’ Cindy’s students explored foraging and fabric dying, sewing techniques, and more. Students even went on a special field trip to FabScrap, a local nonprofit that recycles fabric scraps to mitigate textile waste. Designs created in collaboration with students will be displayed on billboards later in the school year. Of her experience thus far, Cindy writes “I look forward to sharing the students’ work – perhaps providing a visual moment of reflection in an advertising-saturated environment – and in sharing the beauty and materiality of color and personal expression.”

Tilden Middle School - Fall 2023-Spring 2024

With Artist Marian Bailey

Artist visit at Tilden Middle School. Photo by Steve Weinik.

Returning to Tilden Middle School after a successful portrait painting workshop in Spring of 2022, Marian Bailey is once again partnering with students to create a mural to be installed on the school’s rooftop playground. Inspired by the theme of ‘Fairy Tales and Folklore’, Bailey will be guiding students through a mask making project wherein students will reinterpret existing folktales. Bailey will also be photographing students’ mask projects to use as design references for the forthcoming mural.

Northeast High School - Fall 2023-Spring 2024

With Artist Shawn Alleyne

Student artwork inspired by creatures from traditional folklore.

Returning to Northeast High School after a successful character design workshop in Spring 2023, Shawn Alleyne is working with students to create a new mural to be installed on a freestanding wall on the high school’s athletic field. Following the theme of ‘Fairy Tales and Folklore,’ students will co-design a mural highlighting a number of mythical creatures tied to their personal cultures. This mural will be installed and dedicated in the Spring. Over the course of the session, students delved deep into character design and development, putting their own twists on traditional figures that appear in tales from their own backgrounds.

Last updated: Jan 5, 2024

Art Education

Jan 4, 2024