The Mural Club is looking to bring a little more beauty to Cal High’s campus.
The club has partnered with the school’s NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Club to create a new mural that will be painted outside of the Wellness Center.
Usually when Cal gets new murals, the Mural Club is responsible for painting them. But this time, any Cal student was given the opportunity to compete to have their design depicted on campus.
This mural’s theme is wellness, inclusion and community representation. The contestants submitted sketch of what their vision for the mural is.
The winning artist, sophomore Holli Tong thought the contest would be perfect for her.“I thought it would be a really good opportunity to showcase my art,” Tong said. Tong has been drawing and designing since she was very young. As a self-taught artist, she typically enjoys sketching with pen and paper.
“I’ve [also] been learning on my own how to draw digitally now,” Tong said.
The chance to create a piece of art that stays with Cal forever is a special opportunity, and Tong definitely put her best effort into her design.
“First, I came up with the concept,” Tong said. “Then I started to imagine what [my design] would look like on the wall. And it took me the whole month of February to finish it.” Tong wanted to represent equality through her art. She included people from different cultural backgrounds to show inclusion, along with a grizzly bear for Cal High spirit. NAMI is in charge of organizing the competition aspect, while the Mural Club is in charge of working with the winner to refine the design and get it approved by administrators before it is painted.
Mural Club President junior Naman Rudrakshi didn’t expect the opportunity to have a mural outside of the Wellness Center.
“The Wellness Center actually commented on one of [the Mural Club’s] posts on our Instagram, saying that they think a mural in front of the wellness center would look great,” said Rudrakshi. Rachelle Goldenberg, who works as a coordinator and social worker at the wellness center, collaborated with NAMI and Mural Club to help bring the mural contest to life.
At first, the Mural Club didn’t know where it wanted the design to be displayed on campus, but the location proved to be very important. They decided on the empty wall facing the doors of the zen den.
“It’s a spot where students come in at the beginning of the day, so it gives a sense of belonging,” Goldenberg said. “It’s to create a welcoming environment and add a little bit of positivity as people enter class.”
Having this opportunity be student led was also a key part of making this mural special.
“We decided to make it open to all of Cal High because until now, we’ve been the ones making the designs ourselves,” Rudrakshi said.
For a future project around campus, the Mural Club plans on using the contest style again.
“The whole point of the club is to make art that’s representative of our community,” Rudrakshi said.
The contest inspired many other artists, like freshman Naomi Khoo. In the past, Khoo designed a new logo for the school music department. Like Tong, she used digital art to create her mural submission.
“I kind of just went with an idea that I had,” said Khoo, who wanted to bring the theme’s message to life. “My inspiration was a festival at a park.” Her design included a beautiful sunset at a park. The winner of the contest was announced Thursday Mar. 21. “This was a very fun project and I’m very happy that I get the opportunity to leave a mark on Cal High for many years to come.” Tong said.
Adding art around campus also creates a more positive environment at Cal.“We decided it would be smart to partner with NAMI because they embody the values that we want to show in our mural, which is Cal High spirit and welcoming people,” Rudrakshi said.