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05/10/2024 03:46 PMOn April 29, the newest piece of community art in Clinton was unveiled at the Henry Carter Hill Library: a student-made mural depicting resilience in the face of bullying.
The mural is the result of a collaboration between the Clinton Arts Council (CAC), the library, and Clinton youth, made possible by a grant from the Connecticut Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection.
A small group of students from Eliot Middle School met throughout February and March with an art therapist and professional muralist to generate the images, which focus on online abuse and bullying.
CAC president Steve Van Ness said that the mural will now hang above the stairs in the Henry Carter Hull Library for the next month or so. It will then be used at different CAC events, such as the upcoming art show.
“The mural is made to be transported so we can move it around and bring it to different events where it can be shown,” Van Ness said.
Van Ness said the idea for the mural happened by chance. When the CAC learned about the grant opportunity last year he did some investigations into how art could be an outlet for students going through a tough time. His research led him to speak with a dean at Yale University who has done research into the topic.
“Online bullying is a big issue. Kids Don’t want to talk about being bullied,” Van Ness said.
However, Van Ness said that when the students met with art therapist Jane Bishow-Semevolos and mural artist Marsh (one name like the musician Prince), they were more open to talking.
“The lessons really have made a difference,” Van Ness said.
Marsh described one exercise the children participated in where they broke down bowls [and] then put them back together to demonstrate that even when something has been broken it can still be beautiful.
Marsh also noted that middle school-aged kids can learn valuable lessons about overcoming bullying during their formative years that can help them as they get older.
“It stresses lessons like togetherness and being part of a community,” Marsh said of the lessons the kids learned over their sessions.
During the sessions, the kids made different pieces of art, which were then taken by Marsh, who sketched the final mural.
At an unveiling ceremony at the library the kids told the Harbor News their favorite parts of the process were when they got to do the actual painting and that they were proud of their work.
Van Ness said that his hope is for the CAC to do similar events in the future. “We saw we can really make a difference in the schools. I hope we can really do this again,” Van Ness said.