60-foot youth mural and mosaic to be unveiled at Kearns Junior High

April 20, 2012 - PRLog -- Teenagers at Kearns Junior High have been working with artist Roger Whiting since October 2011 to create a 60-foot-long work of art showing the core values they represent. The amazing results of their work will be unveiled to the public this coming Wednesday evening.

The project was made possible by a generous grant from Target Corporation with additional support by Salt Lake County Youth Services, which directs the after-school program at Kearns Junior High.

“At Target, we are committed to serving local communities where we do business,” said Laysha Ward, President, Community Relations, Target. “That’s why we are proud to partner with the Kearns after-school program as we work to strengthen communities and enrich the lives of our guests and team members.”

For the first stage of the project the youth brainstormed and sketched ways to show the value statement of the school: that the students should be effective communicators, critical thinkers, responsible citizens, and life long learners. In order to show these concepts, the youth sketched flags, flowers, buildings, the White House, etc. The youth then acted out these different ideas. The photographs of their poses were traced to create the silhouettes of the mural. These sketches and silhouettes were collaged to create the design of the mural. Finally, the next few months were spent painting the design.

For the second stage of the project, the youth decided which core values were most important to them, such as caring, open-mindedness, creativity, etc. The youth then designed the 30-foot mosaic section of the mural on the outside of the school based upon these values. The youth’s vision ended up being much more colorful, silly and fun.

“I’ve been really impressed by the vision and creativity of the students”, says Whiting, “their contribution to the school is not only a gift to their community, but also creates an artistic legacy for future generations of Kearns youth.”

The mural is set to be unveiled at the Kearns After School Parent Night on April 25th from 5:30-7:00pm. There will be food, face painting, performers, an arts & crafts display, an animation display and a Spy-hop display. The event is open to the public to see the incredible accomplishments of the youth.


Contacts:

Janwillem VanDerBeek - Afterschool Program Director at Kearns - 385-646-5213
Roger Whiting - Mural artist - 801-707-3580 - www.rogerwhiting.com