Artist Helping Ordean East Middle School Paint Mural

DULUTH, Minn. – Ordean East Middle School is getting assistance from a traveling artists on a new mural.

Adam Swanson is helping students this week create the wall-long design that will be placed near the entrance to the school’s garden.  Some of the various images will be coded so that it can be linked to student-generated research projects in the future.

“The idea is to recreate that stuff that is going on outside,” says Swanson, “and we included a bunch of education components.  There’s pollinators, mushrooms, birds, Three Sisters, a bunch of specific vegetables.”

Swanson has created over a dozen murals in the past, and enjoys the chance to work outside of his studio with kids.  It also helps that he has his own sixth grader in his life.

“It’s really nice to connect with young students who are into making art,” says Swanson, “and most are, so it’s pretty easy honestly.  In the end it’s just making sure that everybody is washing their brushes.  As far as the work on the panels and the mural goes it all kind of seems to take care of itself.”

The mural has received funding and supplies from the Duluth Art Institute, with additional support from the Lloyd-K-Johnson Foundation.