This story was originally published by the Gippsland Times on Tuesday, December 20.
A NEW mural is coming to life at Maffra Secondary College.
25 of the school’s students across Years 7 to 12 have collaborated on the work, made possible through the Gippsland Art Gallery’s “Artists in Schools” program.
Education Coorinator at the Gallery, Meghan Bye said the program is about giving students the opportunity to work with a practicing artist.
“They get, I guess, the next level of understanding of what art is, and what it is to be an artist working in the community,” Ms Bye said.
It was school nurse Sammy-Jo Spencer who engaged with the Gallery about participating in the program back in July.
From there, Ms Bye contacted Melanie Caple, a local painter who was raised in Leongatha and has previous experience working with young artists.
Ms Caple was also sought because of the themes and motifs in her work, including her use of Australian plants and birdlife.
“Just the really graphic nature, and the fact that she uses local flora and fauna in a lot of her designs, that was really desirable – especially for a school that’s set amongst the trees,” Ms Bye explained.
Around the same time, Kristen Raine – Maffra Secondary’s Student Engagement and Community Partnership leader – began promoting the program and recruiting students to become involved.
“Some I tapped on shoulders because I know they love their art, yeah, and spoke to art teachers about students that they’ve noticed in class that would (like to) be involved in this,” Mrs Raine said.
Ms Caple’s role on the project is as a contributor or mentor to Maffra Secondary’s students, assisting them in realising their vision for the mural.
She first met with the school’s pupils just over two months ago.
“I worked with the students to go through a design process as to what they might want to see on the mural, and we all decided that we wanted to see a reflection of the landscape around us,” Ms Caple said.
“The Koori students were able to express that in the ways of their people; we were also able to highlight birds and local plants… and then I went away with all of their ideas and created the final design.”
Said design incorporated, among other things, wattle and banksia plants, a kookaburra and a lorikeet.
Photo: Tom Parry
Painting of the mural began in earnest on Thursday, December 8, the majority of which was done over two days.
The façade of a building was chosen as the location for the mural, providing a colourful backdrop to the school’s outdoor amphitheatre.
Students worked with a high-quality, water-based exterior paint to craft their artwork.
“It’s the same paint that you would paint a house with,” Ms Caple explained, touting its lifetime guarantee, and resistance to sun and water as reasons for its use.
Among those who assisted with painting was Year 11 student Emily Morton, who showed great enthusiasm for the project.
“I honestly thought this was a really good idea, getting students involved on this big art project; and I also really love art, so I thought it’d be great to be a part of,” Emily said of her reason to join the project.
The young artist was full of praise for Ms Caple, describing her as “the sweetest person ever!”
“She’s really kind, she’s very helpful and she’s not bossy – she’s letting us do what we want, basically, which I think is really sweet,” Emily added.
That’s not to say that Ms Caple lets the young artists run amok; rather, that she is guided by their vision and allows them to lead the way.
In the words of Emily: “we’re all our own leaders.”
Year 8 student April Wolski was another who helped with the painting of the mural; she described the process as “relaxing” and also had praise for Ms Caple.
“She’s real bright, she listens to your ideas and she’s just good to talk to,” April said of her mentor.
Staff at Maffra Secondary, Ms Bye and Ms Caple have all been impressed with the students’ creativity, and their commitment to the project.
“It’s been really lovely how much they’ve all risen to the challenge,” Ms Caple said.
“The kids are so dedicated to what they’re doing… they get a lot done really quickly.
“You see those immediate results, and once it starts coming together, their peers are coming around and telling them how good it looks…
“The surface that we’re painting on, the brick is quite rough, so it takes a lot of dedication and concentration to paint at the scale, and they’ve all just risen to it.”
While the students have all worked hard, the mural is not finished yet – Ms Caple will return to Maffra in Term 1 to paint the upper reaches of the wall, and provide some final touch-ups to the students’ work.
In the meantime, students are heading into the holidays satisfied and proud of their efforts.
“Knowing that I’ve been a part of this, I feel like I’ve made a big impact on the school,” Emily said.
“I think it’s really cool.”
What’s more, that lifetime guarantee on the paint will ensure their legacy remains for decades to come.
