When representatives from the Mississippi Arts Commission came to town this spring, Linda Whittington, executive director of Communities in Schools of Greenwood-Leflore, asked CIS artist Robin Whitfield if her students could create a piece of public art for the side of their building.
“We had to put something on the building that was pretty and also educational for the community,” Whitfield explained.
The mural they created, which can now be seen near the intersection of Washington and Howard streets, is called “Greenwood Natives.” It features 14 large tiles, each representing a type of tree that is native to the Mississippi Delta.
Whitfield, who works with about 60 sixth- through 12th-graders at the Grenada Alternative School, said she often plans a group sculpture or mural at the end of each school year.
“This was my large project for the year,” Whitfield said.
The students began the project by getting outdoors and learning all about native trees. Then they worked on individual drawings of leaves and chose the 14 best sketches to be recreated in the mural.
Johnny Jones of Jones Signs provided the group with heavyweight vinyl fabric, similar to that used for billboards, that could be stretched over wooden boards like a canvas.
The first step in the process was to create an abstract design of bright colors — lots of red and orange — to serve as the under-layer of the paintings. The students were instructed to get messy with it.
“Some of them — I called the ninja painters — got the two brushes and just painted,” Whitfield said.
After that, they painted a black outline of the leaves over the bottom layer and then painted over the rest of the canvas with solid green.
The students spent two or three weeks on their drawings and just a couple days to paint.
“What a lot of people don’t understand about art is it’s the planning and the design that takes so long,” Whitfield said.
Jones also agreed to hang the mural when it was completed, and Whitfield said she is grateful for all his help with the project.
“There aren’t that many people who do that kind of thing anymore,” she said.
Whitfield said they are calling it a temporary mural, because it can be moved and reassembled at some point if they decided to replace it, but for now most people are happy with it where it is.
“We’ve had nothing but good feedback,” she said.
Whitfield said she was trying to make a living as a artist when Whittington hired her to work for Communities in Schools in 2002. She started out working with Life Help’s Adolescent Offender Program in Greenwood, and has been working at the Grenada Alternative School for the past four years.
Though CIS programs vary by region, the goal of the local organization is to put professional artists and musicians in classrooms to have a positive impact on at-risk youth.
“We believe that artists have the greatest ability to help the kids redirect their energy in a constructive way,” Whitfield explained.
Lately Whitfield has been trying to move more in the direction of public art, such as the “Greenwood Natives” mural. She said that for students who sometimes get negative attention, art can be a way to instill pride and have a positive impact in their community.
“It makes the kids visible for doing something good,” she said.
Their next public project will be a comic book-style mural for the Grenada Public Library.
In another effort to get the students’ artwork out in the public eye, the CIS gallery, Gallery 208, which is adjacent to the offices on Washington Street, will be open again during Art Alfresco on Sept. 18. Pieces will be available for view or sale during the event.
For more information on Communities in Schools, call 455-2864 or visit www.communities-in-schools.org.
