You may have noticed all of the silhouette art pieces around the school, hung up like street art. Interestingly, all of them have no credits–no name, no signature, nothing to let the viewer know who created it. So, who made these…?
The silhouettes were created in Ms. Murchie’s art classes. The silhouettes were inspired by the mysterious Banksy, a very current and modern artist. Banksy makes graffiti art around the world, doing so completely anonymously. No one knows who he is to this day. His illustrations often depict social political issues within the world, such as his recent works about the Russia-Ukraine war.
It’s important to stay knowledgeable about recent things happening like the conflict in Ukraine, which is exactly why Ms. Murchie chose to do this project. “He’s already a famous artist, so I thought, what a great way to start the school year with these recent works of art Banksy had done,” she explained. Her intention behind this project was to get kids more interested in art. “I find sometimes people come into my art class not liking art,” she said.
A lot of students might think of art as an annoying process of trying to make perfect detailed pieces. But it’s important to know that you don’t have to be really good at art to make art. You can convey messages that mean a lot to you, such as the various problems with the world, like Banksy does.
Ms. Murchie explained how Banksy uses his art to talk about political issues. “His work is very interesting in that it brings social political issues to the forefront using art,” she explained further, adding, “so it’s a way for us to talk about current issues using the artwork as a vehicle.”
In essence, the whole project’s intention was about making an easy and enjoyable art piece that shows students how even the simplest art can convey a lot of meaning. It could just be a silly painting, or it could mean more than what meets the eye.
Just as secretly as the Banksy-like pieces were put up, they were taken down. Apparently, the walls were being repainted at night, so the painters had to take them down. Most of the Banksy-like art projects were placed back on the walls are presently being displayed throughout the school.
A lot of students really did enjoy the project and some even designed more to earn service hours.
As a result of the Banksy project being such a success, Ms. Murchie said, “I think it should go all year long. And I don’t think it should just be limited to the art room.”
