The mural at the Chestermere Recreation Centre was a natural progression from the classroom to the community for art students at Chestermere High School.
“We just thought it would be a good idea to get one out there for the community,” said Art Teacher Paul Beseau, “We’ve always wanted to branch out and do some community artwork.”
The mural went up in the entry of the recreation centre in June 2016.
Arts students at the school had completed murals for Chestermere high school before the recreation centre. They also annually repaint the grain bins at the corner of Highway 1 and Highway 791.
Beseau asked a student, Ciara Taylor to work on the design for the mural. Taylor has since graduated and is attending the Alberta College of Art and Design in Calgary.
“She was just burning through all of her projects,” said Beseau.
“She worked on the design for a couple of months and then graduated and left it in the hands of the students of the art department to volunteer their time to paint it,” he said.
Grade twelve student Jordyn Vlaar drew the pencil outline and helped to paint it.
She was joined by fellow students Katia Gallardo, Shelby Rawlusyk and Joanna Barclay, who has since moved away, who all volunteered their time to the project.
“If you don’t have homework, well you might as well spend your time here,” said Gallardo.
“This entire art room is fantastic just to be in,” she said.
Vlaar wanted to be a part of this project because she really likes to see her artwork on display.
“I like seeing my art up around the community…because then it makes you feel a part of it,” said Vlaar.
She spends a lot of time at the recreation centre with her brother’s hockey team and is reminded of her high school years when she sees the mural.
“I believe they feel more connected and a sense of pride when they come in to the Rec Centre and see the mural,” said Chestermere Recreation Centre Recreation Program Coordinator Vicki Klinger in an e-mail.
“As a Rec Centre serving Chestermere, Langdon, Indus and the surrounding rural areas, we always look for ways to connect with the community and this was an opportunity to connect the High School Art students with the Rec Centre,” said Klinger.
Beseau thinks that it is really important for kids to have these kinds of legacies.
The mural represents all the different activities that take place at the recreation centre.
Working on public works of art in the city fosters connections between students and their community.
“You want the students and kids to feel that…school and community we’re one, we’re not two separate entities,” said Beseau.
He hopes that the arts students will be able to do more community murals and art.
“We’d love to,” said Beseau, “we’d like to definitely do some other stuff.”
“There’s so much blank space everywhere, it should be covered in art from our kids,” he said
