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Mural Project August 19, 1999 Childhood expression By Coral Bowman In a shady courtyard at the Kalmia Housing Project, children cluster around picnic tables. At one table, Vicky Moya, 10, draws a pair of hands coming together, a heart perched above. "I want to show how my mom taught me always to be a good person," Vicky said. "She taught me to be honest and to do the best I can." Nearly 25 children from four Boulder Housing Projects have spent the past three weeks creating a large indoor/outdoor mural of their mothers' lives. Organizers of the art project hope to help the children travel around Colorado, making presentations about their work. "The mothers in these communities are really strong," said Liz Skramstad, project director and manager of school and family programs for the Women of the West Museum in Boulder. "We wanted to involve the kids with an art project and have them look at their mothers more as people than mothers." The project is a joint one between Skramstad, Midge Korczak and Caroline Haines of the "I Have a Dream" program and Carmen Ramirez of the Housing Authority for the City of Boulder. It is run on a Boulder Arts Commission grant, and materials are donated by Art Hardware, Colt Construction, McGuckins and Sutherlands. A project of hope On another table, a large sheet of plywood is held by eight
pairs of little "It's a teardrop of joy," said Leo Tanguma, a
noted Denver muralist and The project originally was conceived for 15 children, ages 10 to 18, in the "I Have a Dream" program, which offers long-term educational support to low-income children, including mentoring, tutoring and college tuition assistance. Many of the participants for the joint mural project were chosen from the Kalmia "I Had a Dream" class, for which Korczak is the sponsor. On a hot June afternoon, siblings as young as 3 join the kids to help draw. Juice boxes are passed around, and mothers drop in to check on their tots, some staying to chat. Darting quickly from group to group, Tanguma speaks softly
in English and "There's an intimacy we've established with the
community here," he said. "This kind of art reasserts to the
community their beauty and gives a feeling of With their eyes set on a 20-by-30-foot wall on the Kalmia Project playground, the artists hope to find funding to create a permanent mural for the community. A piece of history Michael Wojczuk, a muralist and art teacher at Superior Elementary School, and Chery Detwiler, a Denver muralist, are mentors for the children. "I can't draw that," a small girl mumbled, looking at a picture of a horse. "Don't think of it as a horse," Detwiler said, pointing to the flank. "Think of it as a line and just draw that part." Detwiler coaxed the children to draw their mother's favorite things. Participants will have "petals" on the base of the mural, which will include poetry and their drawings about their mothers. "Murals tell great stories," Wojczuk said. "Murals are a great way for the children to see themselves as part of a larger community. These children are the history of tomorrow. They are touching everyone and will be touched by everyone." "My mom told me to come the first day and see if I
liked it," Angel Torres said. And that's exactly what the organizers hoped would happen. "We wanted them to have a sense of pride — in
themselves, their family and Contributions are still being sought to cover the cost of the mural. Contact Janet McFarland of WOW at (303) 541-1000.Organizers also need sites to display the mural. To help, call Liz Skramstad at (303) 541-1000, Ext. 16.
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