Debbie Lisk and Jeremy Schneider looked around Lutheran Social Services emergency food pantry off Collingwood Boulevard and decided it was time for a change.
They want people using the pantry to feel a sense of belonging and pride, but the pantry’s white cinderblock walls and old artwork were not doing that, Mr. Schneider said Wednesday.
“We wanted to make it more of an inviting space,” said Mr. Schneider, mission advancement coordinator at Lutheran Social Services. “We want to make it a space where people feel comfortable coming here.”
The result is a mural painted by St. Ursula Academy students. Blue, green, and gray, the mural that shows a blue sky with several buildings on Collingwood Boulevard.
Students are excited.
“I really wanted to get out and go into the community,” said Caroline Fawcett, 18, a senior at St. Ursula Academy and Sylvania resident. “I think it’s so fun to mix community service and art.”
Mrs. Lisk, food pantry coordinator, and Mr. Schneider were originally brainstorming ideas for potential artwork they could use to decorate the space but decided to have someone paint a mural instead.
He didn’t have much luck when he started looking for artists until he got a hold of St. Ursula art teacher Caroline Jardine in January.
“I found Caroline’s name on the University of Toledo’s website, she’s an alum of UT,” Mr. Schneider said. “It said she was a muralist so I sent her an email and within an hour, she got back with me.”
Ms. Jardine of Rossford volunteered the 10 students in her Community Art and Production class to paint the mural for the food pantry that represented the values of Lutheran Social Services.
She thought the opportunity to have her students create the mural fit St. Ursula’s missions of service and community, as well as learn more about mural painting.
“I thought it would be a good opportunity for the girls to learn about the mural process, collaborate with one another, and a local organization,” said Ms. Jardine, a mural artist for 10 years.
The students began tracing the design of the mural on March 1, and completed tracing the mural’s design two days later.
The students began painting the mural this week during their normal class time. They spent three classes, or a week, deciding on a design and color scheme for the mural, Ms. Jardine said.
They started by coming up with patterns and color schemes individually, Ms. Jardine said. They then shared their ideas with the rest of the class and figured out how to combine all of their ideas, she said.
“I guided them through the design process,” Ms. Jardine said. “We brainstormed color schemes, patterns, and imagery that represented the community here at Lutheran Social Services.”
Mrs. Lisk and Mr. Schneider gave the students creative control during a discussion about the mural’s design and color scheme in February, Mr. Schneider said.
They started by coming up with patterns and color schemes individually, Ms. Jardine said. They then shared their ideas with the rest of the class and figured out how to combine all of their ideas, she said.
Devyn Riley, 17, a St. Ursula Academy senior also of Sylvania, said she and her classmates decided to focus on the Old West End after their conversation with Mrs. Lisk and Mr. Schneider.
After learning what Mr. Schneider and Mrs. Lisk wanted the mural to be brought to the pantry, they decided they wanted the tone to be joyous and hopeful, she said.
“We also did research on Lutheran Social Services and the services they provide,” added Arden Goode, 16, a St. Ursula junior, who lives in the Monclova area.
When Mr. Schneider found out he was able to get local youth involved, he was excited. He had initially wanted local youth to get involved with the mural at the pantry, 2149 Collingwood Blvd.
“I didn’t want someone that didn’t know Toledo,” Mr. Schneider said. “To have the kids here doing it is just icing on the cake.”
“I think learning about your community outside of your own neighborhood and school is important in becoming someone with more empathy and understanding of the world,” he said.
First Published March 8, 2023, 10:53 p.m.
