To create a sparkling mosaic mural that reflects what makes East Grand Rapids Middle School special, students tapped into the imagination and whimsy of an ArtPrize artist.
The recently installed mural, stretching across a hallway inside the school, was created by 600 sixth- through eighth-grade students with help from artist Corey Van Duinen. Together, they incorporated symbols from the school, city, Reeds Lake, and extracurricular activities.
They also added things that have special meaning, like a turtle in honor of 2015 graduate Champ McCahill, who survived a brain tumor, and the word “Kabookie,” the nickname of Jimmy Gerken, the late mentally challenged man who is still remembered as EGR’s biggest fan.
Middle School art teacher Holly Lampen received a grant from the East Grand Rapids Schools Foundation and the Parent Teacher Organization to commission Van Duinen.
Materials were donated by Rylee’s Ace Hardware and Vos Glass, both of Grand Rapids.
Students fashioned little clay sculptures, pieced together colored tiles and cut 1,000 pounds of mirrors into small pieces before installing the mural this spring. Van Duinen incorporated students’ ideas to create the design using a computer program.
“We worked the entire year planning, prepping and finally installing the mural,” Lampen said.
VanDuinen helped create “Imagine That!” the second-place ArtPrize 2009 mural and collaborative creation on the exterior of the Grand Rapids Children’s Museum with artists Tracy VanDuinen and Todd Osborne.
He also created the ArtPrize 2011 piece, “And A Child Will Lead Them” and the Art Prize 2014 piece “Excerpts from ‘Owen Imagines.'” He is the author of the soon-to-be-released children’s book “Owen Imagines.”
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