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Students transform soon-to-be demolished hallway into art

Junior Jessi Talluto painted a deer skull surrounded by fire and smoke recently on the wall of Wyoming High School. 

Finished murals now decorate the hallway (courtesy photo)

The message she hopes to convey through the mural, located between lockers, is about deforestation, she said. Pictures of tiny factories behind the deer symbolize the takeover of wildlife habitat.

Art students are using a soon to-be-demolished hallway as their canvas to temporarily spread awareness and get their peers thinking about social, mental health and environmental issues. Art teacher Robyn Gransow-Higley said they wanted to use the space for art with the purpose of conveying messages before the hallway is torn down.

Renovations and construction of a large building addition are under way at the school, with much to be completed by fall 2020.

 “We’re allowing this space to do one last and hopefully positive thing before it goes away,” Gransow-Higley said, noting that students took charge of the project after she got permission to paint on the walls.

Juniors Nicole Start and Onna Burger painted a picture of a bin containing trash with a large recycling bin above it. Onna said she wants students to think about how much they consume and discard. “A lot of people use a lot,” she said. “I want them to think about how things could be in the future if they don’t think about the waste they create.”

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Erin Albanese
Erin Albanese
Erin Albanese is managing editor and reporter, covering Kentwood, Lowell and Wyoming. She was one of the original SNN staff writers, helping launch the site in 2013, and enjoys fulfilling the mission of sharing the stories of public education. She has worked as a journalist in the Grand Rapids area since 2000. A graduate of Central Michigan University, she has written for The Grand Rapids Press, Advance Newspapers, On-the-Town Magazine and Group Tour Media. Read Erin's full bio

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