Chelsea Heights Students See Themselves in New School Mural

Local artist and mural painter Audrey Carver donated her time and talents to Chelsea Heights Elementary to design and create a new mural with help from some very special students. Audrey met with staff, parents and the school's second graders to generate ideas for the mural. The end result is a portrait of three smiling children from diverse backgrounds surrounded by Monarch butterflies (the Minnesota state butterfly), native plants and flowers, and blue skies. Above them, a floating banner reads "You Belong Here." Each second grader got to paint their own square and add their handprint to complete the beautiful new mural.

Audrey shared the following reflection about the project on her website: "As I painted the mural, students in the hallways were really excited to point out which of the kids looked like them. One excited kindergartener was so thrilled that the girl looked like her that she wore a matching hijab to school to show me the next day. It was a good reminder that representation is so important, that kids having access to art really matters, and that when it feels like a lot of hate is happening in the world that there are many ways we can still take care of our own little communities."

About the artist: Audrey Carver is a Minneapolis-based mural artist who specializes in painting, illustration and science communication. According to her website, she approaches art "as a way to connect people to their environment and create beautiful community spaces." Read more about the project here.