Grants Pass' Art Along the Rogue 2021 annual festival was a big success! The Grants Pass High School's art students stole the show this year with a massive Farid Rueda lynx mural. Read to look into the process of creating the mural and see the results!
On the weekend of October 2nd of 3rd, Grants Pass had their annual Art Along The Rogue event. This year, it was the event's 18th anniversary! It is a tradition for the Grants Pass High School art students to draw a 10x10 foot chalk mural on the pavement alongside other talented local artists. This year, Mr. Morton, art teacher at GPHS, picked out a colorful lynx-face mural by Farid Rueda, a talented Mexican street artist, whose art can be found on his Twitter and Instagram. Nine students, with the help of Mr. Morton and his family on the second day, worked a total of 15 hours over the course of Saturday and Sunday. Students would take breaks in between to peruse the festival's art vendors, indulge themselves with the nearby local bakeries, and flock to the nearby Saturday Market for fresh tamales. The event was socially-distanced, hand-washing stations were provided, and masks were encouraged.
Students made a grid first, then began to get down the outline of the animal’s face. They started on the inside of the animal’s face and worked outwards. The celebration of color started off strong, with beautiful yellows and purples. Containers upon containers of chalk lined the outside of the mural, and reference pictures of Farid Rueda’s art were laid strategically throughout the mural. Students crouched down for long hours, diligently working on coloring in the literal beast of a project. The cold chill of the morning wore off and, with the warm noon’s arrival, people began to pour in to view the chalk muralists’ work. The combination of live music (an assortment of jazz, country, hit-classics sung by local musicians, and even poetry readings) and compliments that came with the crowds gave students a boost of energy to continue working through the blazing 80-degree heat. Mr. Morton and festival-goers brought cold water, ice cream, and other goodies for the students. While they snacked, children gawked and pointed in awe at the massive mural as they passed by. Crowds would make friendly chit-chat with the students as they worked, adding to a supportive and fulfilling atmosphere.
By Sunday, H Street had burst into a flourish of color. Other local artists had been getting closer to completing their pavement masterpieces (concepts were anything from cheeky lizards to eye-commanding Star Wars characters). Grants Pass High School's lynx mural was nearly done, when one student had the idea of expanding the mural even further beyond the square border to give the illusion of a full face. There were only roughly 5 students on the second day, so Morton and his family hopped in to help out with finishing the last details of the mural as it neared closer to the afternoon. By 4:30 PM, students had finished and cleaned up. Professional photographers came by to take photos of the mural and students soaked in the praise of the crowds as a reward for all their hard work. Anyone interested can view the other local artists' art on Art Along the Rogue's official website!
One of the senior students who helped work on the mural, Sean Glover, commented that “It was a very therapeutic experience. It was nice to collaborate with other students on such a big, meaningful project. It felt really special.” GPHS’ Art teacher, Mr.Morton, adds that, “This year’s design was by far the best executed design. I enjoyed the sense of community amongst the students.”
The students left the event feeling fulfilled, accomplished, and maybe a bit sun burnt. 15 hours had passed by in an instant as the art students joked, snacked, and shared artistic technique tips. For anyone who enjoys art, community, or just being able to put 15 hours of volunteer time down-- put next year's Art Along the Rogue event on the family calendar! This event is recommended for anyone and everyone, but participation is definitely targeted towards more artistically-inclined students. As someone who participated for both days, I highly recommend this experience. I felt reconnected with my love for art.
Progress Check 1: The Outline
Photo credit: Isa Simon
Progress Check 3: Expanding the mural
Photo credit: Isa SimonProgress Check 2: Getting Colors Down
Photo credit: Isa Simon
