Murals: Larger-Than-Life Paintings in Your Neighborhood

Have you ever thought your neighborhood buildings needed a little pizzazz? Maybe something beautiful to spice it up? Many artists and communities decided to make their own dull neighborhoods come to life through a mural! When a canvas just isn’t big enough, a large blank wall on the side of a building is the perfect place to create a painting that reflects your own community and makes it more beautiful, too.

If you painted a mural in your community, what would you paint? Are there any blank walls that are perfect for your mural? If you want some inspiration, try these books:

When a boy in Hey, Wall sees a perfect blank “canvas” in his neighborhood in a wall that is the size of an entire block, he knows exactly what he wants to happen. But can he find others to help make his larger-than-life idea come alive?

Diego Rivera was an artist who lived around a hundred years ago. Although he started his career by painting classical (or realistic) paintings on canvas, he eventually started painting the history of the Mexican people on murals all over Mexico City. If he were alive now, how might he paint the history happening today?

Surrounded by a grey world, Mira is determined to spread color through her art. When she meets a muralist, she discovers exactly how much color – and joy! – they can spread together in Maybe Something Beautiful! (Based on a true story.)