VALDOSTA – Westside Elementary School students were greeted with a blossoming of colors in the form of a monumental mural at the top of the main stairwell – just in time for spring.

Valdosta State University and Westside collaborated on a weeklong project to bring the mural to life just before the student body returned from spring break.

Principal Beth Lind wanted artwork that would inspire not only students but anyone coming to campus.

“Overall, the mural at Westside can be a powerful tool for inspiring creativity, imagination, exploration, diversity and beauty in those who view it. We feel that the mural captures so much and we are honored to have been a part of this project. The mural is awe inspiring and we love the way the mural brightens up the space and brings joy to those who see it,” she said.

According to Anna Vick, PR chair for VSU, Valdosta State came into the picture when someone put Professor Taylor Shaw’s name out there as a muralist.

Evelyn Davis-Walker, associate professor of art, suggested turning it into a class project rather than just the work of one artist.

“After that, they brainstormed and came up with the outline for this course and Monika Meler got it on the books for mural class Art 4180. We wanted to create a sense of imagination and wonder with our mural. We thought about what animals, ideas and places fueled our creativity as children. We knew that art for us as kids wasn’t always emphasized so when we had the opportunity to emphasize being creative in an elementary school we took full advantage of that. We wanted the mural to capture kids’ attention and have them add to the piece with their own imagination as they walk by it each day,” she said.

Lind said she is thrilled with how the mural came out.