Reading Inspired Artistically by Madelyn

Reading Inspired Artistically by Madelyn - January 2017 Scholarship Essay

I have spent my entire life amazed by the feeling of walking into an art supply store and excited by the feeling of a paintbrush on canvas. This hobby of mine often influenced me personally, but I wanted to use it to help others as well. When the current school year started, I received the opportunity to volunteer at The Children’s Museum of Wilmington through a teacher that felt my creativity and love of children would thrive in this environment. The Children’s Museum is a staple to the community in Wilmington because it provides a safe space for kids to learn and play. By volunteering at the museum I knew I would be impacting the community by providing help to the staff, but I realized quickly that I could do even more to help them.

On the first day of my service, I walked through the entire museum on a tour and listened as Sloane, the lead educator, told me about the areas of the museum that needed improvement. A stairwell near the reading room caught my eye. It had an ugly painting of pigs atop yellow walls that took away from the inviting aesthetic of the rest of the museum. I envisioned a new design that would incorporate reading into something that children would understand and appreciate. I sketched a “Fairytale Forest” with tall trees and woodland creatures reading books that I hoped would ignite a passion for reading in all the kids that visit. I got the mural approved by Sloane in early September, and I finally felt like I was using my artistic abilities to give back to the community I live in. So far, I have spent over 60 volunteer hours painting the mural that stretches along a full stairwell. Bunnies, squirrels, birds, bears, and even a dragonfly are seen hanging out along the wall and reading books together. I hope that children can see this mural and think to themselves "if my favorite animal can read, then I can too."

I am so grateful for my opportunity to not only enhance The Children’s Museum visually, but to get kids excited about reading. Representation is important at a young age, and lately with new technologies it seems that kids are losing the enjoyment of literature. By painting a mural that promotes reading, I not only helped the museum by making a more enjoyable environment in it, but I also helped kids in the community by displaying various ways that reading can be fun. This experience has also inspired me to continue to use my artistic abilities to help the community I live in. I have painted another mural in my high school and hope to someday teach art classes to children that are excited about painting the same way I am, but need the extra push to create new works.