Middle school art students create Native American mural

Take a stroll down the fifth grade wing on the second floor of the East Hill School and be prepared for a pleasant surprise! Students in Michelle Egelston’s middle school art classes have transformed a once-bare wall into a work of art.

The brightly colored work is a tapestry of northeastern Native American art and symbolism. At the bottom is the Mohawk River, the top is the sky, and the middle is dotted with the sharp cliffs and hills of our valley.

Through an Arts in Education grant and a donation from the Canajoharie PTA, Mrs. Egelston raised enough money to purchase sponges, brushes, paint, and funds to hire regional artist Susan Shanley to oversee the work. Ms. Shanley experience with many student murals throughout eastern New York helped simplify a complicated task.

She began by asking students how much sky and water they wanted and where. At first the students weren’t certain what to say. Then they grabbed brushes and sponges and began roughing in the sky and the river. Soon the green hillsides appeared.

Students worked in half-day shifts of up to a dozen at a time. Mrs. Egelston, Ms. Shanley, and adult chaperones offered guidance, but the work is truly a student creation.

“I’m just the weaver,” said Ms. Shanley. “I get the colors and offer advice. This is a celebration for them.”

In the course of the project, the young artists learn to let go of their egos and to work collaboratively. The creation seemed to take on a life of its own. A forest green hillside today became speckled with shades of yellow and purple tomorrow. Each person added his or her skills and interpretation to the masterpiece.

Almost miraculously, the coarse outlines took shape until a spectacular display of birds, animals, and symbols exploded from the wall.

“This has been a wonderful project,” said Mrs. Egelston. “We have involved so many kids. And they have learned that everyone has some artist in them.”

Mrs. Egelston incorporated the Native American design to tie in with the elementary school’s study of New York history. She admits that the design is not purely Iroquois, but includes art from the Micmac peoples of Canada and even a little from Northwest U.S. native cultures.

The public is invited to view the mural and meet the students who created it during a special open house on Tuesday, May 20 at 6:30-8 p.m. on the Canajoharie East Hill School.

(more photos)