In a celebration of artistic expression and a dedication to creating an engaging learning atmosphere, McLean’s Art Honor Society has begun a new project, transforming the blank walls of the library’s conference room into a enchanting forest mural.
“[Art teacher Swapna Elias] said that the Art Honor Society [and AP Studio Art students] were open to painting a mural [for the library],” librarian Lisa Koch said. “We felt that the conference room was a perfect [canvas], being a windowless space where the art can bring the room to life.”
The mural, spanning the entire length of the wall, transports students into a whimsical woodland scene.
“I asked the students if they could find some images of a magical, enchanted forest [for the mural] so they came up with some different watercolor sketches,” Koch said. “We also talked about the color scheme and decided to keep it calming and muted.”
The palette of the mural will follow the forest theme with hues of deep blue, lush green, and rich brown.
“The librarians originally wanted a forest scene and so they gave us some inspiration pictures to go off of, but we have a lot of creative liberty,” junior Rita Dray said. “We want to add lots of animals like deers, squirrels, and foxes to the painting.”
The Art Honor Society is aiming to have the project completed by the spring of 2024.
“The project will take awhile since there’s a lot involved,” Dray said. “Currently, we are just laying down the groundwork and the outline, we still have to paint the background and include all the details.”
Although there are no plans for more murals as of now, the library hopes to continue showcasing the talents of McLean’s art community in the future.
[W]e always want to make student art and student projects part of what is in the library.”
— Lisa Koch
“We definitely love featuring student art and we have two gallery spaces now with one in the research room, and one student display for Black History Month,” Koch said. “I don’t know that we’re up for more murals right now because we don’t have a ton of wall space, but we always want to make student art and student projects part of what is in the library.”
