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This mural was unveiled last week. Artist Dot Burnworth is at right. Courtesy photo.

PUTNAM — RiseUP for Arts unveiled its latest public art project at the Putnam Elementary (PES) Open House Aug. 29, the evening before the start of school.
The piece is a playful, colorful large scale clay mural depicting an elephant teetering on a ladder, spraying the earth with a rainbow engraved with the words “kindness, happiness, community, generosity, compassion, and friendship.”  The center of the mural reads: “Together we can create a beautiful world.”    
The mural was conceived as a community-based public art project, which means it was an artist-led initiative in which members of the community (in this case, PES students) had the opportunity for hands-on participation.  Lead artist, Dot Burnworth, said: “This process of community involvement allows participants to express the shared values of their collective group while fostering a sense of pride and ownership over the space.  It is perfect for school settings — especially for kids who are not especially invested in their education.  It helps them feel a sense of belonging at school.”
Burnworth came up with the mural design by sifting through the kids’ drawings and comments, pulling together repeating images and themes.  She said, “The elephant climbing the ladder represents overcoming adversity in order to reach one’s goals.  The rainbow represents the ideas the students want to share with the world.”  
Creation of the mural began in February when Burnworth and fellow artist Heather Viveiros of Sawmill Pottery spent six weeks as resident artists at the elementary school.  During that month and a half, the students learned about the importance of public art, brainstormed ideas for the mural and got lots of time to work with the clay, creating border tiles as well as land and water tiles that were mosaicked into a three-dimensional Earth.  
After their residency at the school, Burnworth and Viveiros returned to their studio to create, glaze and fire the large pieces of the mural in their kilns.  Installation took the entire month of August, finishing just in time for an unveiling at the school open house.  The kids were thrilled.
Student Leah Gonsalves’s face lit up when she saw the mural on the wall.  “I can’t believe I helped make this!” she said.  This was just what the artists were hoping to hear.  Viveiros said, “The look of pride and amazement on all the kids’ faces as they looked up at the mural was the most gratifying conclusion to the whole process.”
The project was sponsored through a partnership between Putnam Public Schools and RiseUP for Arts, a statewide public art and youth mentoring organization.  Funding was received from The Last Green Valley, Weiss, Hale and Zahansky, Centreville Bank, and CT Office of the Arts.

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