South’s Art History Club will be painting the walls of the library to match the genre of the books in that particular section, as well as other sections of the library if time allows. They will be using the genre’s themes, techniques, and using inspiration from past artists. Club President Eleanor Ryan ’25 came up with the idea of painting these murals for the library to create a lasting memory.
“I came up with the idea when thinking of a way to make art history a lasting memory at south while learning and creating,” Ryan said.
With the addition of life and personal touch that murals add, Library teacher Courtney Johnson’s quick and enthusiastic approval allowed the Art History Club to start sketching their outlines and designs immediately.
“So I think it’s really exciting that some students want to add a little splash of color,” Johnson said. “And leave a little bit of a legacy, and also help direct the attention to the different genres.”
The main goal of the paintings is to not only allow students a creative outlet and improve the look of the library, but also help to direct students to the correct genre of fiction in a fun, creative way.
“You can’t tell the difference until you get really close, what section is the horror, versus the mystery, versus realistic, versus friendship, and dystopian,” Johnson said. “So this is a very exciting opportunity to add a little bit of color to kind of update the space that has not seen any improvements.”
The mural will not only represent the books on the walls but also the students here at South. The art will be a representation of our club members such as Tess Hodges ’25 and the overall students as a collective and a generation.
“The murals add a personal touch to the building,” Hodges said. We wanted to make a permanent impact on the school, so we decided to decorate the place that we meet (the library).”
The members of the club are hoping the mural will help to inspire future South students, and prove the creative intelligence that students aren’t always able to share publicly. As well as incorporating learning and books into the space.
“It (the mural) shows the creativity and ability to learn and demonstrates learning into a piece that will hopefully inspire South students for many years to come,” Ryan said.
