Worthington Community Center Mural
Design StageThe first step in creating my murals was to develop potential digital designs. To the right, you will see the different mural designs that I explored! These mock-ups allowed me to better understand what I wanted to create as my final mural. These digital designs also came in handy when I emailed potential locations to partner with me to display my mural. I also created a black and white line version of the mural design to project it onto the plywood mural base to trace it. This creative stage really helped me develop concrete ideas of what I wanted my mural to accomplish.
|
|
Creating the Mural
|
This mural took me many hours to complete. The first step was painting the background color and the dark blue center. Then I used a projector to trace my digital design onto the plywood. After that, I painted the buildings, homes, and trees along the horizontal lines. The final step was to paint the "You Are Not Alone" logo in the center of the dark blue circle. This center statement is the heart of my project, as the message "You Are Not Alone" means that people struggling with suicidal feelings can see this mural and know that there is a whole community willing to support and uplift them out of the darkness.
|
Step by Step Progress
InstallationThe Worthington Community Center installed the first mural on March 29, 2021. You can visit this mural at 345 E. Wilson Bridge Road, Worthington, OH 43085. Visitors can scan a QR code next to the mural to access my infographics and the project's significance. This QR code and the visitor count of the building have shown tremendous interaction with my mural. After the city changes its Covid-19 restrictions, I expect interactions with the mural to increase.
|
Worthington Libraries Mural
After hearing about my Community Center mural, Worthington Libraries asked me to do a second mural for their Old Worthington location. Instead of duplicating the first mural, I suggested an interactive design that would incorporate the handprints of our community members. My goal with this design was to create youth interaction to educate kids about mental health from a young age because lowering the stigma of mental health starts with our children. With the library, I figured out the logistics and details of the three events through several meetings and email communications. This partnership really helped me develop my organizational skills. On the right, you can see the flyer I distributed to Worthington Schools to get the word out about my project. I reached out to all 18 Worthington Schools to put the flyer in their weekly newsletters and on their website to spread the word.
The mural events were also promoted in two stories in This Week Worthington News, two stories in Worthington Spotlight, the Colonial Hills Civic Association Courier newsletter, and Worthington Libraries website and their direct mail piece sent to all Worthington residents. |
Step by Step Progress
Hand Printing Events
I had three mural events in June and July 2021. More than 300 community members came out to the libraries to put their handprints on the mural! Many people shared with me their personal connection to suicide which was absolutely heart-touching. It shows that suicide has affected so many people in my own neighborhood. At the events, I distributed Nationwide Children's Hospital flyers for parents about the signs of suicide in children. In addition, Nationwide donated swag from their "On Our Sleeves" children's mental health initiative. To the left is my family, who was there to support me throughout my Gold Award Project. Thank you to everyone who was part of my project!
|
Installation
Resolution of Honor
The Board of Trustees of Worthington Libraries was so pleased with the community mural that they recognized my work with a formal Resolution of Honor in October 2021. They said that my idea to involve the community in creating the mural reinforces the library mission of connecting people to a world of ideas – and each other. The new mural serves as a reminder that the Library is a space for everyone, where no one is alone.
|