High School Artists Transform Valencia County Schools with Murals

Students in the Century Wall Works elective at Century High School have turned school walls into canvases, completing multiple large scale murals that school leaders and parents have praised for their professional appearance and community resonance. The group is best known for a stylized Jaguar mural at Peralta Elementary School, a hand painted piece created during a concentrated five day effort that required six to seven hours of work per day. That project served as a catalyst for further work across the district.

Century Wall Works is taught by Amanda Quintana, Century High School art, yearbook and service learning instructor. Quintana said demand rose quickly after the Peralta mural. "Immediately after completing that mural, other schools reached out to us, and everyone wanted a mural, but it was summertime, so that was difficult," she said as students prepared the grid for a new mural project in the Tomé Elementary library. She added that the class plans more projects including a courtyard mural at Century High and additional work when scheduling allows. "We have a few other schools lined up, but those are just kind of on the back burner right now because it’s such a process to get together," she said. "It took a lot to get this going, and this is our first real go at it, but we will be doing another one at Century."

The program grew from an earlier interior project, a student designed mural in the Century High teachers lounge that students finished and detailed. "Most of it was already done, so we just added little touches and finished it," said Century sophomore Lexie Lopez. "We also added a lot of detail, like shadowing, and little details. I feel like it brought it to life."

For the Peralta mural the team used projection to transfer the Jaguar design onto a flat gym wall rather than a traditional grid system. The initial design came from Tiffany McMinn, Los Lunas Schools director of facilities, and facilities staff provided logistical support to set up the space. Students made key creative choices, including the color palette. "When we put it on the wall, we picked our colors and, at first, some of us wanted really dark colors," Lucero said. "We thought that would really ruin the complexion of the gym. So, we ended up picking lighter color ... and they came out, and it turned out better."

Community reaction has reinforced the project’s value. During Peralta’s open house many attendees assumed the artwork was a manufactured covering rather than a hand painted piece by students. Parents and students continue to stop and admire the mural. The program is also using a community wide vote to choose designs, most recently selecting a mural for the Century High library during Book Fair week. Quintana said the group is building a portfolio and logo with an eye toward creating sustained job opportunities for students after graduation. "We’ve also been working on creating a logo and trying to create a really nice looking portfolio," Quintana said. "That’s what we’ve talked about. Now we have to make that happen. It’s been something we’ve talked about quite a bit."

As Los Lunas Schools evaluates how to expand arts based projects, the Century students’ work underscores the role of hands on arts education in community engagement, public space improvement, and career pathway development for local youth.