This beautiful artwork was the culmination of a competition at the Key Learning Community School for a mural to be painted on an INDOT wall near the school. Teacher Jocelyn Coe of Key Learning Community School attended an October Great Indy Cleanup planning meeting with West Indianapolis, and decided to coordinate a competition among the students. The teachers picked four finalists, and then the student body voted for their favorite. The winning design was created by a truly creative student, named Victor.

Through a connection at the October GIC planning meeting, Herron High School senior Shea Rodriguez volunteered to help with this GIC mural project. Shea met with Victor and Jocelyn to discuss translating Victor’s square design to the shape of the wall and to discuss how Victor’s design would be transferred to the INDOT wall.

This was an amazing experience for many people: Victor, artist Shea Rodriguez, Victor’s schoolmates who had a say in the mural to be painted, the Marathon volunteers who had the opportunity to work with Victor and Shea, and the neighborhood as a whole, who are thrilled to have a local artist’s design to replace the peeling painted INDOT wall.Victor beamed with pride the entire morning, as Shea and the volunteers complimented him and asked his opinion on colors, etc.

The project was such a success that it was decided the rest of the INDOT retention wall will be painted during West Indy’s April 25th Great Indy Cleanup event, again with designs from local students.

From: http://www.kibi.org/painting-a-mural-of-inclusion/