The Wonderful Journey of Learning

The Wonderful Journey of Learning mural transforms a graffiti-ridden bridge in Sunset Park and enlivens the pedestrian walkway with a celebration of teamwork and lifelong learning. Through a series of hands-on design workshops, the students created imagery to illustrate P.S. 310s core values of teamwork and lifelong learning. During visual literacy exercises, youth artists explored symbolic imagery and its ability to be both representational and abstract. The students gravitated toward a motif of plants (people) growing throughout life, reaching for the sun (learning). The students also discussed environments in which learning can happen, concluding that the potential for learning is everywhere, not just in the classroom. The mural design is composed of three symbolic spaces: home, community, and school. A ray of light travels through each space. This ray also functions as a jump rope that abstracted human figures collaboratively jump together. Together with the ray, a plant grows through the horizontal design and reaches for the sun, suggesting lifelong growth and learning. The corrugated wall surface challenged students to rely on color, shape, and pattern to communicate their message. The fifth graders hope to inspire their fellow students, parents, community members, and passersby who may not be aware of the presence of an elementary school to keep the area around their school clean and graffiti free.