— A mural painted inside the underpass tunnel on Highway 29 North near
has helped deter “other artists” from leaving their marks.
Since the mural went up more than a year ago, the graffiti in the tunnel has decreased by at least 95%, according to Jaclyn Loween, head of
Alexandria Community Christian School
located at New Testament.
Research has shown that murals can help decrease the amount of graffiti, she said, adding that the one painted by her students supports that.
“And, it has inspired other schools to begin working on murals in their community, too,” said Loween. She believes at least two other schools have begun research on completing their own projects and that they have contacted her for information.
Contributed photo / Jaclyn Loween
About the project
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The mural project inside the underpass was a nearly six-month project, Loween said. Students, teachers and volunteers begin to work on it in March 2022. After a brief hiatus over summer, work was continued starting in September of 2022.
Loween said the spring art class, which was taught by a local art teacher who took on the planning and preparing of the project with the students, had every intention of getting the mural up by the end of the school year, but late winter snows prevented the tunnel from drying. This is why it was pushed to the fall of 2022.
“The planning was complete, but the project couldn’t be completed,” said Loween. “And then there was some uncertainty as to if the logistics of collaboration would work out again for the teacher and volunteers in the fall, but it did!”
Contributed photo / Jaclyn Loween
One of the ways that
Alexandria Community Christian School
has approached learning and instruction, explained Loween, is unique to the community. For elective courses, teachers look for opportunities to invite community leaders and nonprofits to be a part of equipping students to learn, love and lead.
“Collaboration isn’t always the easiest path to take. Not because it isn’t fun to work together, but many times it is the logistics that become obstacles to partnerships,” she said. “So every time the logistics work out to create a collaborative opportunity for students to both learn and serve the community, it is a blessing and miracle.”
Goal of the project
The mural, which depicts the four seasons in the community, was designed by the students, each taking a section with a partner or group. The project was a collaborative effort through and through, said Loween. Students in grades 7-12 participated in all aspects of the mural, including the theme statement — “Seasons change. God never changes.”
Alexandria Echo Press file photo
The goal of the project, explained Loween, was to serve the community through art. In the early stages of requesting permission from the state and the city to complete the mural, research was used to show the value of the project.
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Studies determined that when properties that have graffiti are made beautiful, the graffiti either stops or decreases. This could only be known after the mural was finished and time had passed, she said. The question that lingered was, “Would the mural accomplish this?”
A great learning experience
The mural was completed in the fall of 2022 and the question of whether there would be less graffiti hung in the air — until now.
“To the delight of all involved, it was proven true,” said Loween. “Over the summer and fall months, when the tunnel is most used and typically covered in graffiti before the start of each school year, no graffiti appeared on the mural and very little appeared on the opposite side of the tunnel that has been painted blue but not covered in a mural.”
Alexandria Echo Press file photo
Loween said it has been a great learning experience for her students that involved testing out the hypothesis of the impact on art in the community, which was proven true. Plus, she added, it was a great lesson that sometimes it takes time to see the impact of one’s work.
“Kudos to the students, teachers and volunteers,” said Loween. “The community is a more beautiful place because of you.”
Celeste Edenloff is the special projects editor and a reporter for the Alexandria Echo Press. She has lived in the Alexandria Lakes Area since 1997. She first worked for the Echo Press as a reporter from 1999 to 2011, and returned in 2016 to once again report on the community she calls home.