"Color Pop Garden" Mural Brings Joy to Local Community
Local students made their mark on their schoolyard this year, transforming it from a drab tan wasteland to a bright spot of cheer in the middle of Manhattan. The Upper East Side community watched with joyful anticipation as the Color Pop Garden mural took shape over the course of four fun work weeks.
While teachers and parent volunteers like me sketched the design, directed traffic, and smoothed out the edges, the color-by-number mural was painted by nearly one thousand elementary school students. The result? In bringing the project outside the classroom, these kids gained a sense of ownership over the playground that is their favorite neighborhood hangout. Plus, chuckle-worthy memories flood my mind and a smile spreads across my face whenever I pass by the park and glimpse a stretch of our creation.
Lessons Learned
As classes came out to work on the mural, kids practiced life skills such as patience as they waited for their turn to paint, following directions as the art teacher assigned various tasks, and attention to detail as they searched for areas that needed touching up. They exercised resilience as they struggled to suit up in protective gear; some kids recruited classmates to tie their aprons and others figured out how to wrap the strings around their waist to tie a bow in front, where they could see. Through trial and error, kids figured out it’s easier to put gloves on one at a time and only after tying on their aprons.
Students learned painting skills such as spreading out dropcloth in their work area, opening a can of paint, mixing paint with a stir stick, carefully pouring and scooping paint into trays and cups, scraping excess paint out of brushes and rollers before applying it to the wall, using a dabbing motion with their brush to get into all the nooks and crannies of the textured wall, letting paint dry before working with a new color so adjacent colors don’t mix, adding multiple coats where paint is transparent, and fixing mistakes with confidence and creativity.
When the project received positive community acclaim and progressed faster than expected, students, parent volunteers, and the art teacher collaborated to extend the design to adjacent walls. We inventoried and rationed painting supplies so as not to run out mid-project. We experimented with colors, shapes, and spacing as we designed on the fly, repeating some favorite elements and trying out new ones, editing them with additional coats of paint as needed. Now, if you stand in the center of the sports court, you catch an immersive, 180-degree view of Color Pop Garden.
Memorable Moments
I’m grateful for the many individuals who shaped the mural project, forming memorable moments–both cringeworthy and heartwarming.
The local gardeners who connected us with park employees, thus fast-tracking the approval process and enabling us to expand the design.
The families who raced against the rain forecast early on a Saturday to efficiently roll on a blue base coat.
The physical therapist mom who rearranged her patients so she could skillfully sketch the design on the wall.
The sneaky student who painted a smiley face on one of the stones we used to weigh down the drop cloth.
The mom who carried her extra tall ladder on the subway so we could reach the highest spots on the wall.
The dad at drop-off who eagerly asked his daughter to show him the flower she painted the previous day.
The art teacher’s mom, who stopped by on a weekend to perfect the detail on the daffodil.
The parents who ran back and forth to grab gloves, cups, and water from inside when we ran low.
The photographer who captured the painting station in all its chaotic glory, turning it into a framed masterpiece that sold at the school’s auction.
The boy who showed up during his class’ paint session exclaiming, “Am I having a heart attack, or does this mural look amazing?!”
The group that voted on which direction the bee should fly (up, of course!) and the mom who decisively painted the bee’s eye when the rest of us thought we’d mess it up.
The kid who gleefully added a second coat of paint that turned a flower into a blob–and couldn’t wait to show his parents at school pickup.
The kindergarteners who went full-on Jackson Pollack immediately after the art teacher demonstrated smooth brush strokes.
The mom who brought me taco salad and ice cold seltzer when I painted through lunch.
The neighbors who shared with school parents how much they loved seeing the mural take shape.
The kids who painted a second coat on a vine in an entirely different shade of green–and the mom who humored me by patiently adding a third coat that restored the greenery to its original color.
The soccer fans who opted to play ball during painting time and then ran over right at the end of class to make their mark on the wall.
The mom who brought me ice to tuck into my hair tie and under my hat to keep me cool on a scorching day.
The alumni students who flocked back to campus to work on the mural during their middle school half days.
The kid who so desperately wanted to paint something new rather than a second coat that we extended the design.
The community members who called out compliments as they passed by on the sidewalk.
The kid who proudly pointed out the center of the sunflower he painted when his mom picked him up from school.
The boy who made a beeline for the wall that was already complete and randomly splattered on his flourishes of blue–and the mom who expertly mixed up some yellow paint to camouflage it.
The kid whose classmate painted on him–on purpose.
The mom who discovered that rubbing alcohol removes this paint from clothing.
The kid who dipped his hand in paint and intentionally stamped it on the ground just past the dropcloth.
The volunteers who took kids to the nurse to wash paint out of their hair.
The mom who covered up the overly abundant spots on the ladybug–and the kids who added the spots right back on!
The mom who boldly swapped her brush for a paint roller to freshen up the background blue and make the flowers truly pop.
The kids who flocked to me during their recess and asked if they could watch me add finishing touches of paint.
The mom who kept a brush and a cup of blue paint on the final day of painting so she could stay late to perfect the crisp corners and smooth outlines.
The Aftermath
The completed mural has provided a colorful backdrop for various school events this spring, like the Fun Run, Field Day, and Pep Rally when families flooded the school yard to cheer on their students. The school office workers have gushed about how the colorful flowers brighten their day when they look out their window.
As a lingering memento, I still have purple paint caked in my nail bed from when a can of paint tumbled off the cart and spilled during setup. Thankfully, even the unintentional paint splatters and spills on the sports court and park benches are cheerful in their variety and haphazardness.
Even after closing up shop in terms of painting, kids have continued to add to the wall via their chalk art, giving the ladybug a smile and drawing themselves into the picture. At recess the other day, the Kindergarteners posed for an impromptu mural photoshoot, with some kids pretending to hold and smell the flowers and others “petting” the friendly caterpillar. I love that joyful creativity lives on in the Color Pop Garden!
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