Thursday, June 19, 2014

Rainbow of Fish

After a year in the making, The Stream of Dreams art-education project came to the Salmon schools the week of May 5. All the students in the elementary and middle schools received instruction from two women from British Columbia's Stream of Dreams Mural Society. They learned about our watershed: drinking water, waste water, storm drains, creeks, rivers, and aquatic life. Then the students all got to individually hand paint a fish that would be part of a long outdoor mural.

High school students were also part of the project: the students in wood shop classes cut out over 700 fish for all the students in the district, and the students in art classes worked on painting more intricate designs on the larger fish. The wooden fish were cut into various shapes and sizes, with the smallest fish being painted by the youngest students (Pre-K and Kindergarten), and then the larger the fish--the older the students, with the largest fish being painted by the high school students. Students were instructed NOT to put any lettering or names or logos on the fish because the fish were to symbolize the connection we share with the environment. This meant nobody could write their names on the fish either!

There was a community fish hanging day on Saturday May 10 to place the fish on the fence that borders the high school field next to Highway 93 South. The fish were hung in color groups, so as you drive by, it looks like a rainbow of fish! It's definitely a beautiful addition to the fence, and it has been so fun for us to look at all the different designs! The boys each found their fish on the fence (it took us a few times of going to the fence to find Kanyon's, though!)

Jonah's fish is in the red/white/blue/patriotic section:



Micah's, Kanyon's, and Ammon's fishes are all in the orange section.




It's a very long mural, and impossible to see it all from one angle. Here's a few images of a different sections of it, to give you an idea of how it looks overall...



I'm so grateful for people who have a vision to make our world a better place, and I'm thankful for people who make and follow through with plans to turn their dreams into reality--especially when it educates children, fosters artistic creativity, benefits a community, and brings more beauty to our surroundings!

1 comment:

Melissa said...

What a fun, great, neat, wonderful, and beautiful idea! I love it! Thanks for sharing this. It gives me ideas... :)