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Abstract colorful paint-splatter burst emanating from a central point with orange, yellow, red, pink, and purple spikes on a white background.
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Case Study: Community Mural Residency

BASE: from one wall to what's possible

Students at BASE turned a blank wall into a mural about who they are and where their school is going.

At a glance

  • School: BASE
  • Program: Community Mural Residency
  • Teaching Artist: Awesum
  • Format: in-school and afterschool mural sessions, a Community Paint Day, an all-school assembly and professional learning for staff
  • Who took part: students, alumni, educators and the wider BASE community
A student in gloves paints detail on a large purple mural of a figure wearing a headset.

The big question

What becomes possible when young people are invited to see themselves, their ideas and their stories reflected in the place they come to every day?

What we did

From a blank wall to a story created together

We imagined

Students dreamed, designed and sketched alongside Teaching Artist Awesum.

We created

Students brought their ideas to life in in-school and afterschool mural sessions.

We celebrated

The BASE community came together to honor the school’s past, celebrate its present and imagine its future.

We deepened the work

BASE staff joined the creative process through a Spark House professional learning experience.

What worked

The moments the school shared

Well-used paintbrushes laid out after a mural painting session.

Community Paint Day

More students picked up a brush, added something of their own and could walk away knowing a piece of them lives here.

All-School Assembly

Students, alumni and educators came together to remember where BASE has been, celebrate who it is and imagine where it is going.

Professional Learning

Educators paused long enough to see each other, honor what they have carried and remember that they do not carry it alone.

The process

From a tablet sketch to the hallway wall

A student points to the digital mural design on a tablet before it goes on the wall.
Labeled cups of mixed mural paint in blues, purples, pinks and yellow."
A student leans in to paint blue building shapes on the mural while classmates work behind him.
Students work side by side on the mural's portrait of a young woman.
A close-up of a student's hand painting a fine line on the mural.
Three student artists smile in front of the mural they are painting.

Photos by Alex Bershaw, spring 2026.

Impact

The impact behind the mural

“There’s room for me here.”

One student artist went from being unsure about joining to sharing his world, his imagination and more of himself with the group.

“Maybe I can try.”

Another student went from being afraid to make the wrong mark to taking risks, sharing ideas and becoming a leader in the room.

The mural gave students something to create. The process gave them space to grow. What stayed with the school was one feeling: I am seen. I belong here. I helped build this.

What comes next

Where BASE could go next

These are suggestions. BASE adjusts them and tells us what makes the most sense.

Complete the full wall

Turn the remaining blank wall into a larger student-created mural. Students explore what BASE means to them and what they contribute to the community, how their identity can be represented as a collective, and develop the vision and design alongside professional muralists. One suggestion is a targeted cohort, such as incoming ninth graders, or students who are chronically absent or close to it.

Poetry as Resistance

A workshop series exploring how poetry and the arts have helped communities around the world document their stories, resist injustice, build movements and imagine change. It could sit inside an English class or a 12th grade capstone project.

Staff Professional Learning Series

Three sessions across the school year, at the beginning, middle and end, where staff reflect, reconnect and strengthen school culture.

Read the High School for Medical Professions case study, or see all case studies.

Ready to transform your school?

Tell us a little about your school and the pathway you’re drawn to — Najee will reach out to schedule a time to chat.

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