More hands create a mural of love
May 17, 2018 02:15PM ● By Julie Slama
Draper Elementary and Corner Canyon students worked together to create a mural for Lone Peak Hospital that was slated to be unveiled May 23. (Julie Slama/City Journals)
By Julie Slama | [email protected]
Draper Elementary fourth-grader Jaxson Theurer likes to paint.
“I love getting messy, so art is one of my favorite things,” he said.
Jaxson and his fourth-grade classmates painted their handprints with gold, red, blue and green paint and cut them out. They placed them, along with painted wooden hearts, on a mural painted by Corner Canyon High School art club members.
“It’s my first mural I’ve helped make and we’re doing it to help the kids in the hospital feel better. We want them to know that people love them and care and support them,” he said.
The mural, earmarked for Lone Peak Hospital, was slated to be unveiled May 23, came through a six-month collaboration of Draper Elementary’s Beverly Taylor Sorenson Arts Learning Program arts specialist Kylie Welling, Corner Canyon High School’s art teacher Amelia Davis and Draper Elementary PTA President Terri Frances.
“We decided on the theme, ‘our hearts and helping hands can help anything,’ and wanted to allow every student the opportunity to be involved,” said Welling about the third mural she has overseen for the hospital. “We also wanted the high school students to be the ones to take the lead and mentor our young emerging artists.”
Davis decided this would be a good opportunity for students in Corner Canyon’s art club. The club invites students to explore opportunities that may not be offered in a class such as carving pumpkins, silkscreen printing shirts and embroidery.
When Davis met with her club, the students chose to use three 4-by-6-foot panels to create the mural. They also wanted to keep the artwork simple and the colors relaxing and comforting.
It was Corner Canyon junior Peyton Feurer who created a sketch that would become the basis for the mural with children playing around a tree.
Peyton’s twin sister, Avery, is the president of the art club.
“We wanted to emphasize the simple expression of childhood joy as we created this artwork together,” Avery said, adding that it was fun to return to her elementary school to share her love of art with current students.
As fourth-graders placed their handprints on the mural, high school students helped them with the adhesive and patted them into place on and around the tree.
Junior Lauren Wilson said they wanted the mural to not overshadow the featured aspects of the handprints and hearts.
“We wanted it to be a fun piece of art we could work on with the Draper Elementary students,” she said.
Welling said the fourth-graders have been eager to be involved.
“To see their excitement and twinkles in their eyes, you know they realize they are a part of something special and are thrilled to contribute to this mural,” she said.
Draper Elementary teacher Amy Brand agreed it has been a rewarding opportunity for her students.
“They’re learning that they are part of a bigger picture, but they can take ownership of their part,” she said. “We’ve talked about how one person can make a difference and without them, and their hearts and handprints, there’s a missing piece.”
