Community Art DIY: Painting Sidewalk Murals

For the past two weeks, we have been painting sidewalk murals with the students enrolled at two camps that also serve youth in Pittsburgh's Hilltop neighborhoods:  Voices Against Violence and Lighthouse Cathedral.  Here's what you'll need to start your own sidewalk mural in your community:

First, we sketched our designs using sidewalk chalk.  Then, we painted in the drawings with Crayola powder paint that we had mixed with water (the more diluted it is, the easier it will wash off of the sidewalk).

Our goal was to beautify the community and to allow our students to express themselves.  We based our lesson around the symbol of the koi fish, which stands for friendship, strength and courage.  The students were free to interpret the symbol in ways that represented their ideas about community.  They painted scenes from their community and wrote encouraging words.

 

Find a symbol or a theme that fits your community and then get creative!  

For more DIY's follow us on Pinterest.

- Renee