When you’re walking through the halls of RAHS, you might have noticed the bright and colorful murals displayed on the walls. Ezra Young, a former RAHS student, is the artist behind these works of art.
Young graduated from RAHS in the class of 2025 and is majoring in Product Design at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities .
Young expresses his inspiration for creating these works of art. Of the work in Upper B he said, “My inspiration for the B wing murals came largely from a prompt sheet given to me by the AP English Department. The list focused on themes and subjects related to the topics taught in those classes. The goal was to visualize those ideas. This includes more abstract ideas, such as openness to learning, appreciation of the humanities, literary patterns, and lenses, as well as more specific concepts, like book covers and images from the books.”
Young also created a mural in E wing. He said, “The larger mural in the E-Wing came mostly from my imagination. It contains the word “ROSEVILLE” but the rest of the work is from my mind.”
Young continued to go on about why he actually wanted to design these murals and add them to RAHS. Young communicated his desire for a bit more color in the school’s community. He said,“I wanted, most importantly, to add energy and excitement to the school environment. I think a spot of color here and there really improves on the experience of being in a certain area.”
Young thinks adding colorful art installments can improve the school climate. He stated that, “A positive environment can have a strong impact … Cultivating that positivity and energy is extremely beneficial, especially in an environment as important as a school.”
Young’s enjoys graffiti because it’s a form of freedom to express himself or oneself through art. He said,“It’s a bit of a cop-out, but graffiti has got to be by far my favorite art style. Its freedom of expression is completely unique and unmatched. A close second and third kind of art that I appreciate has got to be films and books. I love the media!”
So next time you are walking from class to class or just strolling around, make sure to take an extra glance around, and appreciate the art around our school.
