A Study of Designing, Processes, and Preservation of Outdoor Murals and their Importance for Communities
Advisor: Mr. Opirhory
Internship Location: Basis Independent Brooklyn
Public murals transform shared spaces, reflecting the identities and values of the communities around them. This project examines the processes, materials, and preservation techniques used in outdoor mural projects and explores how murals contribute to community identity, particularly within schools. The study is conducted at BASIS Independent Brooklyn and applies research to the design and creation of a mural for the school community. The research aims to identify effective methods for creating durable outdoor murals while demonstrating how collaborative art projects strengthen community connection. It includes reviewing academic and professional sources on mural design, scaling techniques, material selection, and weather protection methods. To understand the social role of murals, surveys and interviews are conducted with students, staff, and teachers, to gather perspectives on community identity and how it might be represented visually. The responses inform the mural’s design while documenting community engagement throughout the project. The final mural is designed with input from the community and advisors. BASIS students of various ages are encouraged to help complete its execution. The mural is designed to serve as a lasting visual symbol of shared identity within the BASIS Independent Brooklyn community.
Project Blog
Week 0: ' Introduction
Hi everyone, my name is Jasmine Stein, and welcome to my Week 0 Senior Project Blog!
Project Introduction:
For my Senior Project, I will explore the best processes and equipment for creating and preserving outdoor murals, as well as how murals strengthen communities and convey shared identity, especially in educational environments. Over the next few weeks, I will gather research through online articles, journals, and in-person interviews. I will also meet with my on-site advisor, Marco Santini, an impact artist with experience creating murals in schools, and shadow him on upcoming projects to learn from his work firsthand.
My final deliverable will be a community-representing mural on the outside of BASIS Independent Brooklyn Upper School. To ensure its longevity and success, I will apply both my research on mural creation and what I learn about the BASIS community. The mural will aim to represent every student and faculty member. For more information, you can view my proposal here.
Week 1 Plan:
For Week 1, I plan to survey BASIS Independent Brooklyn students and faculty to better understand what the community means to them. On Monday, I will meet remotely with my advisor to discuss effective research and survey methods before beginning. The information I gather will be used in the initial mural design stages in Weeks 2 and 3.
I am really excited for the weeks ahead and for the mural’s execution. I have always loved art and believed in its importance, especially in educational environments like BASIS. This will be my first time taking on a project of this scale, but I’m confident I will succeed.
Thank you so much for reading, and stay tuned for future updates!
Week 1: ' Interviews and Finding Possible Mural Locations
Hello everyone, and welcome back to my blog post!
I began the week with a meeting with Marco Santini to discuss my project in greater detail and my plans moving forward. He helped me refine my plan to conduct interviews and secure a location for my mural. Initially, I planned to rely on in-person interviews, but he suggested incorporating an online survey to expand my reach. He also advised how to prepare a formal proposal for Mr. Harmon to secure a mural location.
Following the meeting, I researched different interview methods and how to formulate effective questions. I also looked at similar projects, such as a study conducted by Professor Lebibe Topalli at the University of Applied Sciences in Ferizaj. From this, I developed and refined my own set of interview questions. After reviewing them with Mr. Opirhory, I began conducting interviews.
By the end of the week, I completed ten interviews. Most were with high school students and lasted between five and ten minutes. I also photographed potential mural locations, which are included below.
Next week, I plan to interview more individuals, especially younger students and faculty. I have already contacted the primary and middle school deans to schedule times. I aim to complete all in-person interviews before spring break and secure a final mural location.
Overall, this week was very productive. I have greater clarity on how a professional would approach the planning stage of a mural, and I am gaining important insights into what makes artwork important to a community.
Thank you for reading, and stay tuned!
Week 2
Hello everyone, and welcome back to my blog post!
Interview Breakdown:
Thanks to the help of the primary school deans, Ms. Bono and Ms. Love-Mateo, who allowed me to visit during lunch and AE to interview students, I am excited to share that I completed all of my in-person interviews this week. In total, I conducted 38 interviews across the school with a fairly even breakdown. The male-to-female ratio was 17:20, and the distribution across primary, middle, high school, and faculty was 7:11:11:8.
Findings:
Through these interviews, I found that the majority of students and faculty strongly believe in the importance of being surrounded by art in their everyday lives and at school, and wish there were more of it within BASIS. However, younger students, who spend more time on the first floor where most of the art is located, felt more content with the amount of art than older students and faculty.
When asked what themes and images they would like represented in the mural, several ideas came up repeatedly: diversity, the BASIS Bear, Red Hook and Brooklyn landmarks, supportive faculty, sports, friendship, connection, a sense of welcome, and growth. While some preferred to stay within the existing BASIS color scheme, most wanted more vibrant, uplifting colors.
One interesting discovery from my interviews was the difference in perspective between primary and high school students. Many younger students felt a strong connection to House Assemblies and saw them as an important part of the community, whereas older students cared little, if at all, about them.
Progress Towards Securing Mural Location
On Thursday, I met with Mr. Harmon to share my findings and discuss securing a location for the mural. I presented three possible options, including the front and back walls of the four-square playground area. I will share updates as more information becomes available. This week, I also met with my On-site advisor to update him on my week's progress.
Going Forward:
Over Break, I plan to begin exploring the recurring themes from my interviews and representing them visually in the mural.
Until next week!
Week 3
Hello and welcome back!
Research
This week, I began experimenting with different mural designs. I started by researching murals from other schools, focusing on their styles, color schemes, and visual elements. What stood out to me was how closely these murals aligned with the responses I gathered from my interviews. Many of them emphasized diversity, often through global or cultural imagery. They also represented growth using elements such as plants, birds, and butterflies. Additionally, many school murals in New York featured essential city landmarks, such as the Statue of Liberty and the Freedom Tower.
Design Process
As I began designing my mural, I started with the BASIS building itself. Many people had expressed a desire to include it and to show it surrounded by elements of Red Hook and the greater city. I then had to incorporate our bear into the design, as it was the most mentioned element from the interviews. After considering different possibilities, I developed the idea of the bear as both a protector and a supporter of students. It can also be interpreted as a representation of the faculty, who contribute so much to students’ development and success.
After creating several sketches of bears interacting with the school, I decided on a direction. I determined to have the bear’s arm serve as a path for students to climb and grow. I placed students along the arm and on the bear’s head, placing younger students closer to the school and older students further along the arm. To represent growth, I incorporated butterflies, developing the idea of books flying out of the school and gradually transforming into them.
The rest of the design began to come together. On the left side, I placed elements of the city, including forms of transportation that many BASIS students use. On the right side, I demonstrated students' growth through the butterflies and having various elements explode out from the central focus of the bear and the school. These include plants and flowers, as well as markers of different careers, including a stethoscope, a robot, a soccer ball, and a microscope. At the moment, I plan for the mural to flow from a duller color scheme of the city on the left to a vibrant explosion of color on the right. I want the mural to demonstrate students' growth and their path to success and endless possibilities. This design is still developing, but it reflects my current direction.
Mural Location Update and Next Steps
I am also excited to share that the mural location has been confirmed! It will be on the wall next to the four-square court in the large play area. Moving forward, I will begin converting my sketches into digital renderings on my tablet. This will allow me to experiment with various compositions and colors.
Thank you for reading, and stay tuned!
Week 4: Trip to Stamford
Hello everyone, and welcome back to my blog post!
This week, I met with my on-site advisor in person for the first time. He had two events in Stamford that I attended, which gave me the opportunity to see his work in action.
Day 1: Boys and Girls Club Demonstration:
On Tuesday, I took the train to Stamford to meet Marco Santini at the Boys and Girls Club of Stamford. There, he led a demonstration for three groups of students ranging from 4th to 8th grade. For each group, he introduced himself and shared examples of his work, including murals he has created for schools and organizations.
I helped with the setup and handed out paper and markers to the students. The activity asked each student to choose one word that represented what the club meant to them. It was interesting to see the overlap in their responses, as well as the creative ways they decorated their pages. Afterward, Marco invited a few students from each group to present their work.
Between sessions, I watched him live paint on a large black canvas. He used the students’ recurring words to begin building the piece. At the end of the event, I helped sort through the students’ drawings to find additional words that Marco had not yet included. Additionally, I helped take photos to capture the event for his Instagram, which showed me how important an online presence is for an artist.
Day 2: TEDxStamford Talk:
The next day, I attended his TEDxStamford talk at the University of Connecticut Stamford campus. Upon arriving, I met some of his family and friends, whom he had connected with through his work. I watched several speakers present while Marco continued live painting in the background. As each speaker spoke, he pulled out keywords and added them to the canvas around the TEDx Stamford logo.
He was the final speaker of the night. His talk focused on how to build connection through art, and at the end, he revealed the finished piece. It represented the ideas shared throughout the event. It was powerful to see everyone gather around and connect with the artwork. The piece seemed to wrap up the event perfectly.
Takeaways and Mural Project:
Throughout these two days, I was able to show Marco my initial sketches from the previous week in person. However, I plan to continue refining them and experiment with a few different versions before finalizing my first draft.
It was a unique opportunity to assist Marco in his work. It was truly interesting to see how he builds his career in the art world by emphasizing community and its lasting impact. I hope that as I continue working alongside him, I can learn to successfully unite the BASIS community through my own art.
Thank you for reading, and stay tuned!
Weeks 5-6: Transferring Design to Digital
Hi again!
This blog combines Week 5 and Week 6. These weeks were mainly spent on research and focused work as I transferred my design to a digital rendering.
Week 5
During Week 5, I began digitally rendering my draft sketches. At first, I had difficulty deciding between two possible bear designs. The first featured only the bear’s head, with its arm reaching outward to guide students toward success. The second showed the upper half of the bear with a more playful expression and pose, while still incorporating the outstretched arm. After sketching both designs digitally, I still struggled to decide between them. I continued building the rest of the mural around each option to better understand how they would fit within the overall composition. Once I added the school building, which is another major component of the mural, I ultimately chose the more playful bear. It felt friendlier and more expressive, and I realized it brought more emotion and personality into the design.
Week 5: Meeting with Mr. Harmon
Later in the week, I met with Mr. Harmon to give him an update on the mural’s progress. We troubleshooted some of the logistics that would come when I began to begin working on the wall. One major concern was finding ways to avoid interrupting recess and four-square during my painting times. We worked out a plan to block off only the section of space I will need while still allowing students to continue using the court by expanding it away from the mural wall. We also discussed possible timelines for the project and the need for a complete materials list.
Week 6
In Week 6, I continued researching the process of creating a mural efficiently and effectively. This included looking into the best materials and preparation methods for outdoor painting. Since I plan to begin work on the wall during Week 8, I started compiling a list of preparatory materials to send to the school for ordering as early as next week.
I spent the majority of the week digitally rendering other sections of the mural. I also researched different types of plant life to include in the design. After experimenting with ideas such as tulips and dandelions, I found myself drawn to daffodils because of their bright appearance. I also discovered that they are New York City’s official flower, which gives them additional significance within the mural. Although I still have more work to do before completing a final draft, I am excited to see the design continuing to develop.
Next Steps
Next week, I plan to submit the first half of my materials list and finalize my design so I can begin working on the wall. I am very excited by the progress I have made so far and cannot wait to continue sharing updates as my mural idea becomes a reality.
Stay tuned!
Week 7: Prepping for Wall Preparation
Hi and welcome back!
I began this week by finalizing my research for the materials list. My goal is to begin prepping the wall next week. If everything goes smoothly, this will include cleaning and possibly priming the surface.
Material List Research
One challenge I ran into was finding the right concrete cleaner. There was a huge variety of products, especially cleaners marketed specifically for murals, and many websites contradicted each other about what worked best. I first looked into mural-specific concrete cleaners, but many seemed overpriced for what they offered. I also researched TSP cleaner, a strong, non-sudsing powder commonly used by professionals to remove grease, soot, and grime when preparing surfaces for paint. However, after further research, I found that a simple solution of warm water and dish soap could be just as effective for my purposes and much more affordable. Many muralists specifically recommended Dawn dish soap because it is safe for concrete surfaces.
Since I do not have access to a pressure washer, a highly recommended and effective method, I had to research alternatives. Through this, I found the method of pairing a cleaner with a stiff-bristle brush and a hose, which is what I will use.
I faced similar difficulties while researching wall primers. After comparing several options, I decided on the brand Mural Colors and their Exterior High Opacity Mural Primer. It had received very positive reviews for its smooth consistency, ease of use, and cost-effectiveness. The rest of the materials were mainly tools and protective supplies, including brushes, paint rollers, acrylic markers, buckets, and a canvas tarp to protect the floor. These materials will cover the preparation stages of the mural, including cleaning, priming, and outlining the design. Next week, I plan to continue researching the materials needed for the actual painting process.
Mural Design Update
I spent the rest of the week refining my mural design. I added more background elements, flowers, and the train. It took some time to figure out how I wanted the background to look and which colors to use, especially because I wanted the right side of the mural to feel bright and abstract. At this point, I feel close to completing the design. Most of the major elements, such as the globe, school, and color burst, are sufficiently finalized for me to begin transferring them to the wall.
One major issue I ran into involved the bear design. After receiving feedback from several people, I realized that the bear’s arm unintentionally resembled an Anti-Semetic gesture. Because of this, I plan to adjust the pose, specifically by changing the hand's direction so the palm faces upward. My original intention was for the bear to appear playful and reach toward the butterflies, but I now understand how the pose could be misinterpreted.
Another issue I’ve run into is that I can continuously add to my design. I’m having difficulty declaring it as finished. There are details I had planned to add, but never got the chance to. These include sports, students, and the houses of cards. For now, though, I have decided to focus on getting the current design onto the wall rather than continuing to expand it. If I have time later in the process, I can always add these additional elements on top.
Meeting With Mr. Harmon
On Friday, I met with Mr. Harmon and Mr. Josephson to show them the design. They responded positively, although I still plan to make a few adjustments. We also discussed my materials list and the logistics for the following week. I confirmed that the school has a hose I can access near the four-square wall, as well as a ladder I can use throughout the project. The school plans to order the materials as soon as possible, and hopefully they will arrive next week so I can begin working on the wall.
Going Foward
This upcoming week, I plan to complete the second half of my materials list and continue revising the bear design. My main goal is to begin working on the wall as efficiently as possible while leaving enough time later to fix any issues that arise. I definitely plan to have the wall cleaned and hopefully primed by the end of next week.
Thanks for reading, and stay tuned!
Week 8: First Steps
Welcome back!
Cleaning The Wall:
This week, I finally began working on the wall. After much coordination with faculty, I was able to prep the wall space for my work. Additionally, I gathered the first box of materials that arrived at the school. This included the much-needed Dawn dish soap and scrub brush, which would allow me to begin cleaning. I came in early Thursday morning with everything set up for this purpose. The faculty had already set up the hose, blocked off the wall, and expanded out the four-square court. As I began the cleaning of the wall, I received assistance from Mr. O’Neil and Mr. Graham to get missing materials such as a bucket for a soapy-water solution, as well as a ladder to reach high places. Additionally, Mr. Graham, with great effort, helped me remove the protective cushions on the wall’s corners to allow me greater access to the wall itself.
Unexpected Challenges:
During the cleaning process, I ran into some unexpected challenges. For starters, despite having done in-depth research into heavy-duty scrub brushes, especially ones with handles to reach high spaces, the one I ordered turned out to be cheap. After ten minutes of scrubbing, the metal handle snapped on me. Luckily, the brush only needed to be used that day, and despite its shortened handle, it got the job done.
Secondly, when the protective cushions were removed, an adhesive remained. Luckily, I was able to pull a scraper out of the paint roller kit. Mr. Graham also assisted me with their removal; however, some bits were too stubborn to remove and have remained as obstructions on the wall.
As I continued to clean, I realized the severity of the holes in the wall. Although I was aware of them previously, working up close really made them much more apparent and threatened the quality of the final piece. After cleaning, I made sure to reach out to both of my advisors for their advice. Additionally, I conducted research on possible overlays and various types of spackles. Unfortunately, the time I found it would take to order the extra materials and fill in the gaps, as well as the drying time, would extend my project beyond what I would want. I concluded I’d fill the holes with paint to the best of my ability and avoid placing any important design components over the larger holes.
Lastly, as I cleaned, I found a couple of cockroaches crawling around and on the wall. Although they won't affect the integrity of the mural itself, I’ll keep them in mind as I continue to work on the wall.
Next Steps:
I’m letting the wall dry over the weekend, and I plan to come in early Monday to prime it. My plan for next week is to prime and sketch out the design on the wall. I hope to begin painting the week following next.
Live Painting Event at Westchester Soccer Club:
On Friday, I met up with Marco Santini in Westchester at the Westchester Soccer Club. There, he live-painted a large tarp for the Westchester Soccer team. I helped him set up and film his interactions with the community as he asked them what the Westchester soccer team meant to them. His events are always inspiring in how he is able to connect and represent a community through his interactive artwork. I am so excited to continue working with him and help out at more of his events.
Thank you so much for following along with my mural progress. Stay tuned for more project updates!!!
Week 9: Fixing holes
Hi, and welcome back!
This week, I ran into a slight delay in the mural process. Originally, I had planned to begin priming the wall early Monday. Unfortunately, when I arrived, I found out that the primer would not be arriving until Friday. Although this slowed my timeline a bit, it gave me the opportunity to focus on another aspect of the wall that I had originally planned to leave alone to save time.
Filling in holes with concrete
Since I now had extra time, I decided to fill in some of the larger holes in the concrete wall. Conveniently, the school had extra concrete mix available for me to use. I came in Thursday morning to begin. Because this was my first time working with concrete, I spent some time beforehand researching how to properly mix and apply it. Mr. O’Neil also helped me get set up and gave me a brief demonstration before I began.
The process ended up going surprisingly smoothly. The concrete mix was simple to combine with water until it formed a putty-like consistency. I first filled in the two largest holes in the wall before deciding to fill in some smaller ones as well. I am currently letting the concrete dry and plan to return Tuesday to sand down the fill-ins and finally begin priming the wall.
Other Areas of Progress
Outside of the wall preparation, I also continued experimenting with different aspects of my mural design throughout the week. I explored the idea of changing the bear paw so that the palm would face upward. However, after researching reference photos, I could not find any examples of bears naturally making that motion. I even tried using my dog’s paw as a reference. I quickly realized that her paw could not rotate upward either. After doing a bit more research, I concluded that bears realistically cannot make that movement. Although I decided against changing the orientation completely, I did lower the paw slightly within the composition. I have also begun brainstorming different styles for drawing students, which I plan to integrate into the final design.
This week I also finalized part two of my materials list. I decided to use Chroma Mural Paints and plan to order them through Blick Art Materials, as they carried most, if not all, of the colors I needed for the mural.
Going Forward
Next week, I plan to work as efficiently as possible so that I can finally begin painting starting week 11.
Thanks for reading and stay tuned!
Week 10: Priming and Scaling Design
Welcome back to my blog!
Priming
The primer finally arrived, and I came to school early on Tuesday to begin priming. Although I knew it would be a tiring task, it exceeded my expectations. The bare concrete was very absorbent, and it took a lot of paint to cover the area. I was constantly switching between spreading the paint with the roller and filling in corners and gaps with a smaller brush. Doing so all while carrying around a heavy ladder. After 7 hours of work, I finally covered the wall in a single coat.
I came in again on Wednesday and gave the wall a second coat. This went faster but still took a while. Lianna stopped by to help out in filling in some of the holes with white paint. this task proved to be very tedious and never-ending. Despite the physical difficulty, it was a cool and rewarding experience to see the wall become fully covered.
Scaling the Design
I had planned to have the design laid out this week, but unfortunately, I ran into a hiccup. On Thursday, I came in, and I set up a projector. Over the weekend, I outlined my design and planned to project it in parts onto the wall—an efficient way to scale art up. I knew beforehand that people have had more success with this process at later hours in the day, as the projection is more visible. Unfortunately, the school isn’t open at dark hours, so I decided I could always hang up a tarp to block the sunlight if it became a problem. It was indeed a problem; a bigger issue was that the projector couldn’t sit back far enough in the four-square setup to cover the wall's height.
I had to default to my plan B, creating a grid. Doodle grids are a common method used by both muralists and other artists to scale up their art. It consists of creating random doodles on the wall. Then, the artist would take a picture and digitally overlay an outline of the design on top. The points where the outline lines intersect with the doodles serve as a guide for the sketch on the wall.
Thursday night, I went to pick up last-minute acrylic markers from the Blick store. The fine arts festival was the next day, and I decided to have it be an opportunity to get student participation. I left the wall open and invited both students and guests to participate. By the end, I got around 30 people to draw stuff on the wall, with many including their names. I made sure each student logged their name to keep track of community involvement.
Going Forward
Over the weekend, I plan to align the outline of my design over the doodle grid. I will then come in on Monday morning and start sketching the outline on the wall.
Next week, I hope to have my outline on the wall completed and to have begun painting. I’m so excited to FINALLY begin putting up my art after weeks of wall prep.
Stay tuned!!!
