In collaboration with Precita Eyes Muralists and KQED Public Media, I conceived and directed a teenage girls' mural project that taught media literacy by seeing murals as a form of media.
KQED Education Supervisor Maxine Einhorn visited our group of girls aged 14-19 at Precita Eyes Muralists, and gave a presentation on media literacy. She showed videos and conducted a discussion with the girls about ways the various forms of media convey messages. We discussed the ways women and girls are portrayed in media through advertising and other content.
We created a mural measuring 12 feet wide by 5 feet high with the idea of someday posting it as a billboard: empowerment by creating one's own media--and message.
I facilitated the girls' design of their mural by taking written notes as they listed and brainstormed ideas; they then drew sketches for imagery they wanted in the mural. They created several designs that organized their imagery, and voted on a final design.
The girls painted the mural on Tyvek® indoor/outdoor paper using acrylic paint formulated for murals. Against a background of a shattered mirror, the mural contains images of women and girls doing sports, teaching math, speaking out, being president, and building their own identity. Also included are Rosie the Riveter, and a diverse range of women from varied age groups and ethnicities. The girls named the mural "Got Power?" as a spin on the milk ad campaign.
