Mural represents region\u2019s diversity<\/b><\/p>\n
Included among the eye candy at the opening of the new Town Square Plaza in downtown Kent June 28 will be a piece of art created by Kent-Meridian High School students \u2014 a big piece of art.<\/p>\n
Commissioned by the city, Kent-Meridian International Baccalaureate art students painted a mural measuring almost 50-feet long to be displayed at Kent\u2019s newest park. The mural was recently finished and unveiled at a June 11 ceremony at the school, which included a visit by Kent Mayor Suzette Cooke.<\/p>\n
The project started in October when Kent Economic Development Director Ben Wolters called Karen Drumheller, head of the Kent-Meridian art department, asking if her class would be interested in painting something for the city.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe kids all said yes,\u201d the teacher said. \u201cWe wanted to do it because we wanted KM to be the ones to do it, not another school.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kent-Meridian hosts the district\u2019s International Baccalaureate program, a special high-school program directed at students who desire a more rigorous curriculum with a global focus and want to earn college credit.<\/p>\n
Drumheller teaches the program\u2019s art class, consisting of 28 students this year, and she said the proposition offered a perfect project for the ambitious students.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe started discussing how to design this big project, and we immediately thought to focus on the diversity of our population here at KM,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The school, like the city of Kent, includes students from many different cultures, the teacher said, so the art students decided to incorporate that idea into the mural.<\/p>\n
The theme also fit perfectly with the Baccalaureate program\u2019s global scope.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a huge focus on looking at the whole world instead of just your own little neighborhood, so it was perfect,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
To represent the prominent ethnic groups at the school and in Kent, the 28 art students went about researching some of the world\u2019s iconic architectural structures to represent 12 different countries. A group of students each worked on one of 12 panels, designing scenes with a prominent structure on each.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe kids really got to learn a lot about the different countries by doing research on these architectural structures,\u201d Drumheller said.<\/p>\n
The tricky part about any collaborative mural project, the teacher said, is combining the panels and making them flow together. But with two months of solid work, the students pulled it off.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a real learning experience for the kids, because even though there are 28 of us all painting different panels, a mural is a joint piece of art. It was a lot of work, but we think it turned out great.\u201d<\/p>\n
The students hope the mural\u2019s message will be clear to future Kent passersby.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe message is to show that all these cultures have been brought together in this one city of Kent,\u201d said junior Jillian Redosendo, 17, who hopes to pursue a future art career. \u201cI loved doing the project because we all got to work together, and I like the idea that everyone\u2019s going to see our mural outside of school.\u201d<\/p>\n
To see the Kent-Meridian mural, attend the city\u2019s Town Square Plaza kickoff event 10 a.m.-2 p.m. June 28.<\/p>\n
Mayor Cooke will dedicate the mural at a 10 a.m. address. Town Square Plaza is located at the corner of Smith Street and Second Avenue in downtown Kent. For more information, visit www.ci.kent.wa.us.<\/p>\n
Contact Daniel Mooney at 253-437-6012 or dmooney@reporternewspapers.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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