Murals
Large-scale murals across Metz’s campus demonstrated some of the dynamic ways in which art functioned in everyday Metz life. These murals served as a way of bringing the community together around a common goal, providing encouragement and motivation for students walking down the halls, celebrating bilingualism and biculturalism, and much else.
"Aztec/Cobra Mural Exchange: A story of a peace and friendship through art education"
In 2009, students created murals for the Aztec/Cobra mural exchange program between Metz and neighboring Sanchez Elementary. The idea for the exchange first began when students from either school—Isabell from Metz and Jose from Sanchez—decided to create drawings to share between the two schools. “There was this desire for people to get along, for kids to get to know each other, and hopefully do something together,” said local artist and educator Raul Valdez, who worked with students at both schools to design and paint the murals.
Valdez taught the students professional painting techniques, such as how to render, and how to draw faces by themselves. The learning extended even beyond the arts. “Anybody can be an artist, and if students don't want to do art, they can do the research, or they can make the references, or help with some of the labor, but anybody can get involved,” Valdez said. Through the murals, Valdez also taught students science and applied math, such as the “golden mean,” which is a Greek measurement technique applied to nature.
In the end, hundreds of students worked on the mural alongside custodians, principals, and teachers to paint a mural that expressed themes of “peace,” “friendship,” and “unity.” The project culminated in a parade, which met halfway between Metz and Sanchez to exchange the murals. In the words of Valdez’s magazine written on the exchange, in the process students learned so much more than painting skills: “We learned about history, science, and math, but most importantly we learned that working together is the coolest.”
Para Nuestros Padres
Raul Valdez also worked with students to design the “Para Nuestros Padres” mural, which was located on the ceiling directly outside of the cafeteria. Valdez worked with the students to design a theme for the mural. “The Metz students came up with some really brilliant ideas,” Valdez said. Lupe Ramos, a Metz teacher who volunteered to help with the mural project, described the project as “a beautiful type of community work.”
According to Valdez, one of the most important things students learned when working on murals was the practice of completing something cooperatively. “In working on the murals, kids showed interest and really wanted to learn,” Valdez said. More than 300 students contributed to the mural.
Valdez said that even now, years later, grown students will approach him and reminisce about their part in working on the murals. According to Valdez, that sort of experience sticks with students. "The students still remember working on a project like that for years," Valdez said.