Artwork > Community Mural Projects > Youth Projects > Schools

Persevere, 2017
Granite Academy, Braintree

I was honored to lead a collaborative mural project at Granite Academy as part of an artist-in-residency with the Justice Resource Institute. This was the third of three JRI murals and it took place in the Spring of 2017 as I worked with middle-high school students with social/emotional needs. It represents the students ideas about opportunity, perseverance, equality and diversity.

Read below for the artist statement written by one of the students:

The mural presented in the Granite Academy gymnasium is called Persevere. This mural represents the values that both staff and students hold dear to their hearts. It is a daily reminder of the strength, passion, creativity, and resiliency of the students at Granite Academy. This project brought everyone together as a community through the collaboration of ideas. This wouldn’t have been possible without the support of JRI, Granite Academy’s administration, and the talent of Tova Speter and Rena Ferioli.

On the far left side of the mural you will see the Granite Academy mascot: the Gladiator. He is standing on a piece of granite with a flower growing out of it. This represents the idea that beautiful things can come from even the hardest of places. There is also a crack in it with a quote stating, “a crack doesn’t mean you’re broken, it means you were put to the test and you didn’t fall apart.” You will notice the gladiator is holding a pencil. He is drawing a doorway that leads to the rest of the mural. This represents the quote in the mural that says, “when opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door!” Above the door, we have the galaxy. Here at Granite Academy, positivity is very important, so we incorporated a quote that says, “shoot for the moon, and if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.” Through the door you will see a waterfall and a body of water which is a very relaxing place; an oasis, representing peace and harmony.

In the sky, you will encounter a rollercoaster, representing the ups and downs of life. It leads to the Boston skyline, and underneath, the Red Line train. These represent home. There are blooming trees of all different kinds, showing that yes, they are different heights, widths, and colors, but they are trees nonetheless. Next, there is Granite Academy’s Learning Park where students and teachers can go for a walk, to relax by the koi pond, enjoy the weather and the flowers, or even hold class in the outdoor classroom. It is one of the many things that makes Granite Academy different from public schools. There is also a stop sign before you get to the rainbow road that leads to the sun. It represents another quote from the mural that says, “difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations.” The road is filled with positive words and important values such as kindness, equality, respect, ambition, honesty, and love. On the outer edge of the sun there is a quote from me saying, “even the brightest thing rises and falls.”

To the right of the road there are many different symbols representing equality because equality is something that is very important here at Granite Academy. Lastly, to the far right there you will see footprints exiting the dark railroad tunnel. These footprints represent the quote in the hallway that says, “Even the longest journey starts with the first step.”