North Country Union JHS Mural Residency

For two weeks in May 2022, we worked with art students at North Country Union Junior High School in Derby, Vermont to create a 10’ x 40’ mural meant to uplift People of the Global Majority in their community.

We spent the first week of the residency cutting geometric shapes, sunflowers, and pollinators, and painting them to be collaged into the wings of the Afro- Pollinator and the large bee, as well as the surrounding area. The process of making the mural was to build community while working towards a common goal. The second week, we installed the pieces into the mural with assistance from the students who created them. We then detailed the mural to completion. This process was a great learning experience for the school community, and it was not without its challenges and hardships. It took teamwork and perseverance to create, and is a beautiful way to represent their school community and celebrate the contributions of all who are a part of it.

Visual themes in the mural include a figure walking bravely out of a portal, representing where we have come from and confidently stepping into the unknown, surrounded by pollinators—bees, butterflies, and birds—symbolizing friendship, connection, and our need for supportive community to thrive.