Summer English as a Second Language Academy (SESLA)
“The Colors of Our Dreams”
This mural was designed and painted by multilingual fourth to eighth grade students in the 2017 SESLA program, in collaboration with local artist Mary Thiefels from Tree Town Murals, teachers, and UM interns. In this summer program, students studied visual art, identity, and social justice. They visited cultural museums to analyze art they found compelling. They then created their own art in many different genres and wrote about how their art represented their identities and social justice issues they care about in the world.
To create the mural, students used themes and symbols from each other’s art and worked together to sketch and present design ideas. Middle school students proposed their designs, which were then combined into the final artwork. Themes in the mural include the search for knowledge and peace, honoring global diversity, and celebrating community. It expresses how people from many different backgrounds can come together in one strong school community.
When the mural was revealed, students and family members added star symbols to the world map to represent places in the world that are important to them. As the Scarlett community grows and changes, we can continue to add more star symbols to the map to show that everyone is welcome here at our school.
