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More Than a Mural: High School Students Learn the Life Lessons of Painting

Traditionally, murals have reflected the strong history and people of the neighborhoods they inhabit, serving as an act of community engagement, cultural identity, and revitalization.

A small group of local high school students were invited to ������ƵAPP’s Mies Campus this summer to learn about the tradition and how to conceptualize public art through the process.

������ƵAPP’s Office of Community Affairs and Outreach Programs invited students from nearby Dunbar Vocational Career Academy to learn about the art and trade of painting through the office’s Bronzeville Opportunity Engine, a workforce development program. The students learned about how paint works, its properties, and how is used as both a trade and an art form.

“This program gave students more than technical skills—it helped them see painting as both a trade and an art form, while building confidence, discipline, and career readiness,” says Felena Bunn, program specialist for ������ƵAPP’s Office of Community Affairs and Outreach Programs. “They learned how creativity and hard work can open real opportunities for their future.”

The students were introduced to, a local muralist and artist who has produced large-scale paintings across Chicago and the country. He helped the students understand how public art works, its purpose, and how to develop a concept. The students then conceptualized the idea of painting people from Bronzeville, both historical figures and modern residents, on the backs of bus stop benches.

“You have to understand what the public is good with seeing and what they will understand, because you are altering their environment,” Statik says. “Those tastes vary by region.”

Statik explains that he could depict guns in a mural for a location where firearms are a part of the culture. But doing the same thing in Chicago might elicit a different response.

“You are not entitled to people liking your work,” he says. “You have to respect the demographics of the area, because they are the people who will have to live next to it.”

Keeping this in mind, the students elected to depict Bronzeville figures. 

One mural depicts , a noted Bronzeville activist and historian, and the contemporary Bronzeville historian and TikTok sensation . A second depicts the boxer and contemporary author . A third features and Ida B. Wells.

Darius Garner, a rising junior at Dunbar, and Tamarion McClinton, a rising senior at Dunbar, say that they picked these figures and independently researched the subjects.

“We picked people from Bronzeville rather than random people, because of sensitivity for the public,” Garner says. “We picked people who have had an impact here.”

Garner says he had some painting experience before joining the project, but it was closer to the trade work—painting walls and ceilings of rooms. McClinton says he had done some painting as a hobby. Neither had previous experience painting a mural.
Statik says he is selective with his projects, especially with those working with students. However, he was drawn to work with the Bronzeville Opportunity Engine on the mural project as it outlined a realistic outcome, invited a small group of students, and because of the reputation of ������ƵAPP.

“This is the home of Mies van de Rohe, and the students can learn about the Bauhaus movement and how it changed the skyline of Chicago,” he says. “That movement changed the skyline from Art Deco to a grid-based system, which you see everywhere now.”

He also saw the benefit of the program to expose young people to the art and trade of painting.

“It is important for young people to do something and explore a career path and a life path,” he says. “It’s also a place to have discussions about what and why we’re painting, and to build a natural narrative around it.”

Bunn said the project began with the students learning about paint and how it works with representatives from Behr Paint.

“It’s an adhesive—with color,” Bunn says.

Behr Paint, Home Depot, and Wintrust Bank donated paint for the students to paint walls on the fifth floor of the Michael Paul Galvin Tower, which will become the new home for the Office of Community Affairs Outreach Programs and the Bronzeville Opportunity Engine.

The students then learned about wall coverings such as vinyl panels, which can be used to display artwork or to create signs, by representatives from Cannon. Other donations were provided by Little Giant Ladder Co., who provided training and certification in ladder safety; Emily Carlson of Righteous Digs, an interior designer and painter from Minneapolis who covered painting and design basics; and Power Construction, which led lessons on business and life skills.

“They are learning life skills here and employment readiness,” Bunn says. “They are learning what it takes to get into the trades.”

Photos: [Top] Dunbar Vocational Career Academy student Tamarion McClinton paints a mural during a summer program offered by ������ƵAPP’s Office of Community Affairs and Outreach Programs. [Middle] Dunbar Vocational Career Academy student Darius Garner works on a mural during a summer program hosted by ������ƵAPP’s Office of Community Affairs and Outreach Programs. [Bottom] A Dunbar Vocational Career Academy student paints a mural during a summer program offered through ������ƵAPP’s Bronzeville Opportunity Engine.