1:30pm Friday March 12, 2010, Martin Middle School, 1601 Haskell St.
Taller De Arte Publico de Austin (Public Art Workshop of Austin) presents Aztec/Cobra Mural Exchange Friendship Ceremony
Students from Metz and Sanchez Elementary schools have painted murals at their respective schools and will exchange them. The theme of the murals is friendship and sharing between the schools, neighborhood and most important of children accomplishing a goal together. Painted on panels according to measurements accommodating available school walls the Sanchez mural measures 7ft x 16ft the Metz mural is 8ft x 8ft. Produced under the guidance of an artist in residence and visiting artists, at least 90% of the murals were drawn and painted by the students from both elementary schools from Kindergarten to 5th grade.
Students participants in the creation and painting of the murals from each school will start out in simultaneous parades at 1:00 p.m. from Sanchez Elementary located at 73 San Marcos and Metz Elementary located at 84 Robert Martinez, Jr. St. They will meet at Martin Middle High School where they will unveil and exchange murals in a gesture of goodwill.
Each school painted both school mascots and colors on the mural. The Cobra is the mascot for Metz and the Aztecs for Sanchez. The various images on the murals were chosen after discussions with students and staff through extensive opinion polls conducted at both schools. The project took six months to complete and included hundreds of student participants. Along with the murals the students created their own music, poetry, photographs and a video thereby turning the project into a multi-faceted learning experience. These student efforts will result in a short video production as well as a publication featuring the students’ work. Incorporated into the project were seven professional visiting artists, some visiting from as far as San Antonio to lend their expertise. The project certainly involved some unique aspects in providing a practical lesson for the optimum number of students in cooperative learning, inspiring a spirit of giving through friendship and teamwork.
The Mural Exchange Project was done with the cooperation of AISD the staff, students and parents from Metz and Sanchez elementary schools along with volunteers. The project was funded through a grant from Austin Energy’s Good Neighbor Program.
FMI contact: Contact: Raúl Valdez 512-699-4309