Reading Is Fundamental Mural: Art That Inspires at a Cleveland Elementary School
August 30, 2024
Introduction: Painting A Magical Mural That Inspires Reading
I recently had the chance to work on a project that took me right back to my childhood. I was hired by an organization called Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) to create a mural for a local elementary school library in Cleveland. The goal? To capture the feeling of pure imagination that kids experience when they get lost in reading
Who is Reading Is Fundamental?
If you haven’t heard of them, ‘Reading Is Fundamental’ is an incredible nonprofit organization focused on children’s literacy. Their mission is simple but powerful: to help every child develop a love for reading. They do this by making sure kids have access to books, especially in communities where that’s not always easy. RIF believes that reading is the key to unlocking a child’s potential and opening up a world of opportunities. I absolutely couldn’t agree more.
Creative Concept: Creating A Mural Design That Portrays The Feelings Reading Brings
When RIF asked me to design this mural, they gave me a color palette to match their brand and a few key words: colorful, vibrant, fun, and imaginative. From there, it was up to me to bring it to life. My design draws from my own childhood experiences, where reading transported me to fantastical worlds. The mural features a central book from which magic then emerges. Radiating from the book is a bright glow of yellow stars, fairy lights, and whimsical colors.
The mural has all sorts of little hidden gems that I hope children will study & have fun finding. I painted book pages that morphed into ocean waves… an octopus blowing bubbles, a whale floating in the sky, butterflies, a plane, hot air balloons, space scenes, and other imaginative elements! Each detail was chosen to inspire a sense of wonder and curiosity in young readers.
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The Mural Supplies That Brought This Creation to Life
To create this mural, I used Behr Paint in a range of vibrant colors. Blue, light blue, purple, green, yellow, and white. These colors really helped bring the design to life and matched the playful, imaginative vibe I was going for. I also relied on Zibra Paint Brushes. These brushes were fantastic for outlining and getting the paint onto the rough surface of the cinder blocks. Working on cinder blocks can be tricky, but these brushes made it so much easier to achieve the detail and precision I wanted.
The Experience: Creating A Mural from the Heart
This mural was more than just another project for me—it was a chance to reconnect with the things that made me fall in love with art in the first place. As I painted, I thought a lot about my own experiences as a kid and how reading opened up my world. It was a joy to create something that might inspire that same sense of wonder in the next generation.
Seeing the mural come together was beyond rewarding. I hope that the kids at this school will walk by it and feel like they’re stepping into a new adventure every time. If you want to see a full start to finish timelapse, I shared a video on Instagram here. It’s a peek into a world where imagination takes center stage. A world where every book is a new journey waiting to happen.
Creating this mural reminded me of the magic that art and reading can bring into our lives. I’m so grateful for the opportunity to create something that will hopefully spark creativity and curiosity in the young minds who see it every day.
stay shining and stay creating! ☀️
sincerely, your artsy friend that is rooting for you –
Arastasia Rolain – Traveling Mural Artist, Art Educator, & Creative Entrepreneur
