Last year Aleya Berry made her mural called Outlet of Hope in the commons.  Art teacher Mr. Tinsley said, “The ubiquitous colors, or colors that are prevalent in both school and in prison is Gray. It kind of keeps people in the mindset of complicity. So, For schools, especially for our wonderful school, I would like students to be happy in the hallways.” He is continuing his mission this year.

Oren Wolfe, senior at RAHS, approached Mr. Tinsley with the ideas for a new mural in the E-wing. Wolfe has been working together with the FACS department to create the perfect mural. Wolfe stated, “Ms Chadourne , one of the teachers in the FACS department approached me and said she really wanted something on the walls here to liven up the space because the new E-wing is very stark and bland.”

Wolfe’s ideas were modified in order to meet the expectations of faculty. When talking about his process he stated, “My original draft for the mural got scrapped halfway through the process and I had to start over completely, which was really frustrating for me. The idea I started with was really food centric and they really liked it but they wanted to bring more aspects of FACS…”

Wolfe aims to make diversity a prominent theme in the mural. “We’re trying to show that the FACS department is accessible to everybody. Anyone can take the classes, anyone can cook, anyone can sew, anyone can do anything they want to do. We have the resources, and we want as many people as possible to know that they’re welcome here,” Wolfe said.

This is not Wolfe’s first rodeo with murals. Last year, he helped Berry with hers, which proved beneficial for his work now. Berry’s mural highlights the theme of acceptance, and Wolfe wants to show that people can find belonging in the FACS department.  Wolfe stated, “The FACS department and its classes are… accessible to everybody, and we want more people to be taking these classes and feel like they are welcome here, pursuing their passions.”

Wolfe has been drawing since middle school and said he “never expected to get to this point with his art but he is really happy with the final product and excited to see where it goes.”