Image source: Japan Art Mile
Japan Art Mile is a wonderful way to create and collaborate while fostering healthy relationships among students across international borders. My students helped to create a beautiful mural; half of which was painted in Japan.
Seisa Kokusai High School students created a beautiful mural, sharing some aspects of Japanese culture.
When we received our package from Seisa Kokusai High School at the beginning of January, we were excited… and then a bit nervous! Their mural painting was absolutely beautiful, and we wanted to make sure that our painting would complement their design. We snacked on some tasty Japanese treats while we started to plan our composition…
We were so thankful for these lovely gifts!
My students started to brainstorm ideas immediately; we discussed Canadian culture and popular imagery while sketching and making notes.
We began to notice some similar themes amongst all of the ideas in our class. Once we made these observations, we started to refine our thoughts with a new round of sketches. This process taught us so much about collaboration within our class, and helped us to develop a sensitivity to the thoughts and concerns of other people.
Once the composition was planned, it was time to get to work. A proper layout was essential for adding details throughout the mural’s creation.
After moving past the hurdle of beginning to paint, we quickly began to appreciate the progress that we were making. Students selected colours and designs that reflected our culture and traditions, so a sense of ownership developed over the weeks that were spent painting the mural.
I am so proud of these students. This was not an easy task, but they were up for the challenge; their work will represent our school when these murals are exhibited at Japan Art Mile’s next display.
When the mural was finished, it was time to select a few treats for our friends at Seisa Kokusai High School. I found some very special items at our local grocery store as well as Fort William Historical Park in Thunder Bay.
While visiting Fort William Historical Park, our mural was displayed one last time before being packaged up for its long journey back to Japan. Doesn’t it look wonderful?
Congratulations to my students on the completion of your design! You are fabulous!
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.**Note: before the mural arrived from Japan, we learned about Japanese culture from our friend Kyoko! Enjoy our slideshow here: “Kyoko Visited Our Class Today“
Northern Art Teacher 
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