Winthrop Middle School's Talking Wall

Tuesday, December 26, 2006

PART 2
"If you were to title the mural today what would it be?" Some more thoughts from the 8th grade. If you respond to this blog please refer to the number of the quote in your response. If you wrote it, let us know!


16) "The Friendship Wall"
I see squiggles and smiles and friendship. We talked about how it was going to look strange when it was done.

17) "Chaos"
This wall is crazy and colorful
The oddness speaks for itself
Unique scibbles of paint make you wonder
Which way is up or down
The colors speak to me
as if the wall was talking

18) "The Wall of Creativity and Individuality"

19) It's ugly and very tacky.

20) I think it looks. . .
ugly
a big mess
colorful
sickness
my messy room (very messy)
wordful
elemental
baby-art
stupid
odd
swirly
calm, yet confusing

21) Strange.

22) "Mural in the Middle"
Colors swirled and twisted upon the wall,
it was made by one and all,
Abstract shapes are made with brushes,
Everyones excited and rushes,
Movement and life is what its made of,
From us to generations to come
Made with love, and fun
Upon the wall is a mural
At the Winthrop Middle School

23) "Our Mural"
I see a mix of colors that have progressed from the first day. We painted a mess because our lives can be messy.

24) "Young Minds"
I think it shows what middle school is about. It reminds me about the hope we have for kids here, I think it brightens up the lunch room. It makes lunch enjoyable. This shows what goes on with a middle schoolers mind. Some colors are dark, some are bright and cheery. Some are flat. Some are swirly. I love what we have done its awesome.

25) "Messy Work"
The mural reminds me of a 5 year old scribbling on the wall with a crayon, then getting in trouble. Then after his hand gets slapped, he goes to the paint drawer and throws paint around, and does the same thing with marker.

26) "Life"
1. Crazy, sometimes confused, messed up.
2. Twisted, tangled, original and fun.
3. Colors swirled and twisted upon the wall, it was made by one and all.

27) "Skittles"
This mural reminds me of a bag of skittles that got put through a blender. I did that once. It was fun. And loud. And sticky. We had to get a new blender. Whoever thought to put chrome on a blender, you rock.

28) "Interwinding Rainbow"
I see colors everywhere coming together to make an almond rainbow.

29) "The Wall"
I see various colors and blends. I painted with out feeling rushed. I see me. I see you. I see the world.

30) When I look, I see an abstract mixture of color and the mixtures of color creates different feelings. A picture of still perfection.

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"If you were to title the mural today what would it be?" Some more thoughts from the 8th grade. If you respond to this blog please refer to the number of the quote in your response. If you wrote it, let us know!

1) "The Magnificent"
I think it looks good. You could see what everyone painted because it is gray. It looks like someone spilled several buckets of paint over it.


2) The mural is a pain to look at during lunch. I'm not opposed to abstract art, but it is not what I think and see. It looks like an attempt to be colorful, but with many mismatched and ugly colors. I hate coming down here and listen to people talk about art like poetry-puke.

3) "Everyone's Creation"
Painting and showing
what we all can do
Some added lots others just a few
Creating life on a blank wall
with extra colors, all barriers fall.
Making it perfect through our eyes.
This is everyones creation from
all the girls and guys.

4) The painting look different in a good way. You don't see this everyday. The colors look good together and I'm sure it will look even better by the end.

5) "Super Swirling Spaghetti" because this is a cafeteria and spaghetti is a food! (This is what was on the rest page for this title)
"I Paint what I See": I see swirls of color, whirling about the wall. Some are dark, some are light.
"I Paint what I Paint": I painted strokes of color, spiraling across the wall. I moved my brush in a circular motion to create a jumble of dizzy lines.
"I Paint what I Think": I think of all the different colors representing all of the different children of the school. None of these lines are the same, just like none of the children at Winthrop Middle School are the same. Everyone is different and that is good.

6) "The Crazy Wall"
I think this wall is a maze. I think this wall reminds me of Winthrop. This wall is a remembering of the 8th grade. This wall is special. This wall we did is the best.

7) "Confusing"
I think it is pointless and should have kept the other ones.

8) "A Piece of Crap"
I think this is the worst painting I have ever seen. It's just a bunch of squiggles. All I see is a bunch of colors. I want the others back.

9) I see a bomb exploding of paint. When I look at it I am given a confused feeling. I see people being crazy and molesting the wall with colors.

10) "Exploding Colors"
The wall shows everyones creativity and personality, even if it looks messy and ugly. I decided to just draw lines. I just felt like doing that. It is my own way of being unique. In the wall I can see that everyone has a little bit of themselves in it. Talking walls.

11) "War"
I see a war that is happening because the circles make it look like there is a person that is lying there dead. And some of the colors make it look like the sun is rising.

12) "Bold Lines"
I see creativity of bold lines, that are colorful. Designs of imagination. Scribbles that draw your eye.

13) "Cosmo"
I see lots of colors.
I paint random lines, with no pattern.
I think that its a blog of color.

14) "The Abstract Rainbow"
I think it is like one big splash of the rainbow except of being in an arch shape. It is all twisted and goes every which way. I think that this a painting of a thousand words. Showing and leaving a part of everyone that is here.

15) "The Wall"
It's unique and I think its unique because no one could paint something exactly like this. The mural shows everyone what their ideas are so everyone put in what they want to see on the wall.

Wednesday, December 20, 2006



To continuet the mural process Margy Burns Knight and Argy Nestor came in to work with the students again. Each grade level came together and had a brain storming session. Margy brought in the original drawings for her "Talking Walls" book. They are trully amazing. We will have them on display throughout the school. For the brain storming session students were asked "If you were to title the mural today what would it be?" Students were paired and shared their ideas and then one student reported to the entire group. Examples of titles are "Cosmo", "Everyone's Creation", "Pointless Confusion", "Flying Colors", "Blended Emotions" and "Fantastic Chaos". It was interesting to note the similiarities between the groups. To be continued. . .

Tuesday, December 12, 2006

The mural project has been very interesting. It was really amazing to see the mural change after each grade level painted. The dynamics of each group are represented, from the color to the movement of shapes and space. After going home I kept thinking about the mural and how some individuals and groups made the painting take on new levels of interpretation. This process really pushed me, as an art teacher and artist, out of my comfort zone. What I really have enjoyed is how there is now a daily morning conversation about the mural. Kids show where they painted, what color they used and discuss how the mural changed from the beginning of the process. I can not wait to see the where this takes us and how the journey of making art constantly changes and challenges all of us.



The mural after 6th grade finished.



The 6th grade was ready to go and also did a great job.



This is how the mural changed after 7th grade was done. Kayla O. added the blue line and it changed the whole feeling of the mural.






Thanks to the 7th grade for a great job painting the mural. A special thanks to the 7th grade team for coming and lending a hand.

Monday, December 04, 2006



First, I would like to thank the entire 8th grade class. You all showed a great amount of integrity and respect for this process. And that's what this is, a process. I know some people are a little confused as to what will happen, but that's part of the process as well. I ask that you all have patience and believe in the process. The mural will continue to evolve and each of us will be a part of the mural. Again thanks 8th grade!!!

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The Mural process has begun!! Please let us know! What a great start!!