“To Thine Be True” : Artist Josiah Golson on his new mural at The Howard School
Join us next Tuesday to celebrate the newly completed mural at The Howard School! In 2013, Josiah Golson won funding and incubation through our Diversity and Inclusion Challenge for his project, 800 Collective, a diverse artist group that connects communities with their social aims through visual art experiences. Josiah connected artists from 800 and students from The Howard School to design a mural that wraps around the walls of their cafeteria. Learn a little more about the motivations and meaning from the artist himself.
“On Tuesday, November 1, Howard students and community will gather in the school’s dining space to celebrate the completion of “To Thine Be True,” a mural celebrating Howard school life, history and culture. The mural was developed and created by Howard students, art educator Elizzabeth Beil, and the 800 Collective, a diverse artist group that connects communities with their social aims through visual art experiences.
The project began at a time of transition for the school as Howard was approaching its 150th anniversary and desired to activate the 140+ feet blank walls of its cafeteria with art celebrating it’s longstanding legacy and current transformation. Working with artist Elizzabeth Beil, Howard’s art teacher during the mural development, Josiah Golson facilitated a series of workshops in late fall 2015 with a team of Howard students and young artists to conceive the story and content of the mural.
After developing a concept for the mural created from student’s input, drawings and workshop discussions, Josiah coordinated artists involved with the 800 Collective to work on the mural while including the assistance of students. Howard principals and staff opened the cafeteria on afternoons, evenings and weekends to enable the project to progress. The mural consists of scenes of everyday school life, while hinting at historic images and figures. The painterly style of the mural is both picturesque and expressionistic to complement the energy and activity the living students bring to the space.
Throughout the process, students were invited to observe, question and comment on the work in progress, leading to the concept for its completion. For the mural’s celebration and completion, Howard students will be invited to use paint pens to fill in the colorful but title-less books of the mural’s Library scene with subjects, inspirations and ideas they want to explore in a Howard education.”
