Students’ Mural Paints a Lesson in Literacy

A splash of yellow here. A touch of green there. And plenty of blue for the sky.

A colorful mural depicting children, houses and trees was unveiled Thursday at Bassett Street Elementary School. The mural, painted on a outside wall by 19 students in second- through fourth-grade, was part of an arts program that doubled as a lesson in literacy.

“Fine arts aren’t taken seriously, but they can be used to improve literacy,” said Principal Jan Pickett. “We wanted them to develop their language skills while getting a sense of what the fine arts are about.”

Since October, the children studied, researched, discussed and wrote about various artists and eras dating as far back as the Renaissance, said Gerson Renderos, one of three teachers who led the art program.

About 80% of the school’s students speak mostly Spanish at home, and the project helped to get them excited about reading, Pickett said.

“We wanted to give the kids an opportunity to apply the skills they learned,” said Renderos, who teaches a third- and fourth-grade combination class at Bassett.

The program was awarded $1,000 by Los Angeles Education Partnership Grants. With the money, school officials purchased paint, brushes, canvases and other art supplies.

The children started the 50-foot by 10-foot mural in mid-February and put the finishing touches on it last week. The process was messy, but fun for third-grader Wendy Salguero.

“I got a lot of paint on my arms and on my clothes, but I don’t care,” said Wendy, 8. “It was fun, and I really like painting.”

The school auditorium was converted into an art gallery Thursday as children displayed work inspired by art periods they studied, such as Picasso’s Rose and Blue periods and Impressionist works by Monet and Renoir.

Fourth-grader Rick Gomez seized the opportunity to make fun of an older sibling with his painting “The Big Nose on My Brother.” The jagged edges and colorful palette were meant to mimic Picasso’s Cubist period.

“I drew my brother’s big nose because it looks so funny,” said Rick, 9. “He hasn’t seen it yet because he might get mad at me.”

Other students learned more practical lessons about technique and art appreciation.

“Painting is fun, but you can’t rush it or else it won’t look good,” said second-grader Elliot Morales, 7. “You have to take your time, and the more people who help out, the better.”