Community  mural.

Community

noun

1.

a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common.

"Montreal's Italian community"

2.

the condition of sharing or having certain attitudes and interests in common.

"the sense of community that organized religion can provide"

Mural

noun

a painting or other work of art executed directly on a wall.

"huge murals depicting Norse legends"

 adjective

relating to or resembling a wall.

"a mural escarpment"

What are they? Community mural projects allow people to develop their individuality and confidence through creative visual expression and to experience a positive social collaboration. A mural is a large image painted or affixed to a wall. Murals can be painted by one person, but the process of developing a mural collectively is very powerful. Collective murals give voice to a whole community. The collaborative mural process is accessible and can involve people of all ages and skill levels. Murals bring art into public spaces and allow people to refect their concerns, joys, values and histories. They beautify the community, attract public attention and can educate people by illustrating messages about social or environmental issues. What are the benefits? A mural project has two important features: the process and the product. In the process, diverse individuals come together to develop a vision and work collectively to achieve a common goal. The merit of this educational process is that everyone is valued for his or her contribution, and success is based on participants’ ability to support one another in reaching their goal. This process also leaves a product--the mural. The mural does more than instill community pride. It serves as a conspicuous reminder that by working jointly the community can meet its challenges. 

Plan  a community mural

Organising a mural needs a plan

A plan is the outcome of the process of thinking about the activities required to achieve a desired goal and/or result. This process goes into steps each step leading to completion of the objective.

 A plan is preparing a sequence of action steps to achieve some specific goal. If a person does it effectively, they can reduce much the necessary time and effort of achieving the goal. A plan is like a map. When following a plan, a person can see how much they have progressed towards their project goal and how far they are from their destination.

Guidelines to plan creating a Mural in your community

Brainstorm the idea: What to paint on the wall, if it’s a commission(ordered by someone)you already know the theme, will it be a copy of something or are you asked to come up with ideas about the theme ,for example sports ,is it about a sport in particular or the sport as an idea in general. If you are free in the choice of theme, you need to come up with more than 1 idea and in variations.

Who will be doing the painting and with how many, for example if you are painting for and with children of an elementary school, it needs structure in organizing :time planning, group planning, abilities.

Where will the mural be. Visit the location .The school, the outside wall, the location is important to visit beforehand, not only for the size.(too big, too high) You need to know /see if the theme is suited for the wall ,the condition /surface of the wall( too old, too porous, damaged ,the surroundings of the wall: will the theme blend in harmoniously. Is it allowed to paint on that wall, you need permission.

How  will you paint the wall. Firstly your idea needs to be transformed on the wall in sketch form. Either with chalk or paintbrush. Will the final painting be with spray paint or wall paint, if your team consists of children spray paint is not advisable(health hazardous)  

When. You need to establish when you will be painting. Is the set date suitable for everybody and how about the weather conditions if it is an outside wall.

How long. Set a reasonable time frame .If the project is with children make the mural quickly it becomes tedious for children if it takes too long and they will lose interest.  

Material spray paints can be painted on any wall, but are expensive in use.

Expenses  Who will be responsible for the expenses. Payment of the mural needs to be agreed upon before the start of the mural. Think beforehand how you will calculate the cost of the mural: materials, working hours. 

Normal wall paints are suitable ,inexpensive and for all audiences. Brushes are needed in many sizes, containers for mixing, plastic ground  covers for spilling, aprons.

First it is helpful to have a strong collaboration with a local institution(school) or  community organisation. In this way you can arrange meetings for proposals with instructors or community leaders about your ideas promoting a community activity.

In the case of school collaboration, students will have the opportunity to do a project linking  education with art.

After the approval of the instructors,  meetings should be scheduled to recruit student volunteers for the project. The meetings should be  open discussions for propositions on the importance of the theme of the mural. The focus should be on a common goal, such as connecting young people to the community. This is the time for brainstorming and  ideas that are important for the community as a whole should be decided upon.

Next is to determine the site of the mural. It should be located in a frequented area to get the most exposure. A permit of some kind must be assured. 

Make a practical structured plan, such as the source of funding for the materials, and making sure the selected wall is in good condition for painting, such as smoothness, which makes for easier and more effective brush painting.  Consider the difficulties: the height may need ladders, the paint cans must not be exposed to too much sun, the floor under the mural must be carefully protected from drips. The essential materials also should include colored chalk for the initial drawing on the wall, a water bucket for brushes,  sponges, cloth rags, and of course photos and sketches of ideas. There should not be many people working at the same time on the wall, so each volunteer must be assigned to a task. Also, in case of spray paint, extra safety caution is needed such as wearing masks

It is inevitable that the mural may be slightly changed during the process. When finished it is not only an image, but a fulfilment of the participants to the project, an experience of creating and connecting the people who have joint ownership of the artwork.