Art education project results in mural at Kalispell's Russell School

A new mural at Russell School is the result of a collaboration between the school, artists and KALICO.

Two local artists have been providing arts education at the Kalispell school through the “Artist in Schools and Community Grant” from the Montana Arts Council. The goal was to end the project with a visual representation of the important work they had been doing with the kids through art at Russell.

Principal Bill Sullivan said the mural is the culmination of a few years of art enhancement at Russell School.

“Partnering with outside artists brought a unique perspective to the power of art and creativity in the classroom,” he said. “We understand the value that art can bring to our community. We now have a mural at Russell School forever that represents the collective work of our students."

Lindsay Martin, who is an art therapist, and Tasha Metallo, a local artist here in the Flathead, were both selected to carry out the vision behind the grant and were instrumental in the leadership and education of this project.

The project consisted of Metallo and Martin leading the students in a discussion about the importance of public art along with examples from around the city. They then moved on to talk about collaboration and a theme, during which time they landed on the school motto, “Rising to be Champions” and the school mascot, which is a ram.

The students then each made their own mural design based on what it felt like personally to be a student at the school. The artists then collected the designs and used them to create a cohesive design in which they replicated the students' artwork to include in the final mural. The final stage of the project included every student and teacher adding their own handprint to the finished mural.

“While we were painting, we had students who would regularly stop by to see the progress on the wall, they brought a constant stream of excellent questions and delightful comments. Some kept close track of the number of rams while others were quick to notice new additions to the design,” Martin said. “I loved trying to imbue with each student the significance of leaving such a permanent and personal mark on their school as we pressed their hands on the wall.”

"Everyone put lots of work into creating a school-wide picture that will be on the wall forever,” said student Sadie.

"This project made everyone feel like they had a part and were important during the process,” said another student Graeme.

The project was funded in part by the Montana Arts Council, and many local businesses including Parkside Credit Union, Russell Elementary Parent Group, KALICO Art Center, Sherwin Williams and Imagination Station.

An unveiling celebration of the “Rising to be Champions” mural is May 16 and will be open to the public from 5-6 p.m.