Art Mural

Towards the end of February, Andee Rudloff, a muralist whose artwork can be found in Tennessee, a lot of states in America, and even other countries including Germany and China, came to NSA to paint a mural. This mural was created by students, Ms. Rudloff, and some teachers, including Ms. Schnetzer. Visual Arts students each drew a small, simple image/symbol that they thought portrayed the community at NSA. Which then was combined and turned into the template for the painting by the artist.

I asked Ms. Rudloff a few questions, one of which being if she had any advice for the students interested in pursuing careers similar to hers and/or in the arts, what would it be? Her response was thorough and wise, at one point saying: “Find the thing that you’re most passionate about doing… and sometimes it’s not what you think it is. Delve into all the arts and see what aspects of each of them really delight you. And then push that together to make this new way of making art. Don’t follow anyone else’s path.”

The process of creating and putting up this artwork took a lot of labor, teamwork, creativity, and perseverance. Students and faculty/staff had to assemble the scaffolding and put it up, then put down tape. Afterwards, Ms. Rudloff drew out the template on the walls, then everyone began painting. After multiple days of painting and putting in the work, it was ready for Ms. Rudloff to do the final outline in black paint. After all that, they took down the tape, and scaffolding, and let it dry, then the final mural was completed.

The vibrant and colorful mural is displayed on the outdoor wall of the office, and it continues throughout the hallways near the office and Ms. Schnetzer’s classroom. If you get a chance, feel free to stop and take a look at it or take a picture. It portrays a sense of teamwork, community, individuality, and a love for the arts. Ms. Rudloff’s message with her art is beautiful and truly inspiring to many young artists.

GC