At the end of each school year, eighth-grade students have the opportunity to create an art installation to beautify the Crossroads Academy campus and leave their mark on it. This project is an important rite of passage for the graduating class, just weeks before they commence from Crossroads Academy. This year, the Class of 2024 left its mark by painting a mural onto the ball wall, located just outside the Lower School.
The ball wall was originally a project of the second grade class in 2008. At that time, Mrs. Martin’s class started a company to raise money for it’s installation, and called it “The Second Grade A Egg Company.” Mr. Martin designed and constructed the wall that summer. This year, the eighth grade class was challenged to create an outdoor mural to beautify the ball wall. This mural contains many elements and symbols that represent our school, from our motto, “Strong Minds,
Kind Hearts,” to our school mascot, an owl perched in a tree. There are also a number of nods to our Core Knowledge Academics and Core Virtues. This mural has many interactive features, such as game-inspired flower petals to toss a ball at and score points. There are sensory spirals in the river to provide a mindfulness moment, students can play tic-tac-toe with a friend or simply enjoy a high-five to start their day.
There are two artists highlighted in this mural. Keith Haring was an American artist whose pop art emerged from the New York City graffiti subculture of the 1980s. His animated imagery has become a widely recognized visual language, and here we used it for our figures adorned with the primary colors. One figure is reading, one is waiting to give a high-five, and one is holding a symbolic “strong heart.” The other artist who inspired the mural’s design is Brazilian painter and sculptor Romero Britto. He combines elements of cubism, pop art, and graffiti painting in his work, using vibrant colors and bold patterns to express his hope, dreams, and happiness. His style suggested our vibrant colors and the thick black outlines that define our mural’s imagery.
The entire eighth grade class is proud to share this mural with our community, and has chosen to dedicate it to Mr. Martin as we come full circle with the ball wall project.
