Students at D. S. MacKenzie got the creative juices flowing Thursday afternoon.
Over the last month or so, the young artists have been working on paintings on a “graffiti wall,” a temporary wall put up at the school while renovations are underway.
Grade 8 students Sadaf Iqbal and Emma McKeeman told CBC Edmonton’s Radio Active about their painting of an astronaut holding the planets as if they were balloons.
“It gives people a way to express [themselves] and to decorate the school more so it’s not just a boring old wall.” McKeeman said. “Before this was put up, there was a whole set of mirrors and stuff and now we’re redecorating it in a new way.”
The project also brings the students together, Iqbal said.
“It’s kind of is fun to paint and it makes it look cool. Everybody walks in the hallways and looks at your art and is like, ‘It’s amazing!'”
Teacher Chantelle Brownlee has been watching over the club as members works on the walls in the construction zones around the school.
“It’s been amazing for me. I don’t really know what I expected out of it, but they have blown me away.” Brownlee said, “To watch it grow I think is the coolest thing. One day they’ve just got a sunset and the next day they add layers and layers.”
Renovations are expected to last until the end of May. The contractor is working with the school to maintain the art for students who may want to take it home after construction is over.