• New outdoor mural contributes artwork to Pinewood Elementary and the community

      Pinewood Elementary knows how to celebrate the arts, and the school is doing just that with a new mural that has been painted on a brick wall near the entranceway.  As a North Carolina A+ School (one of three in app County Schools), Pinewood is known for adding the arts into everyday learning for students, something that is exemplified by the bright outdoor mural that now decorates the school. 

      The large-scale mural, painted by Charlotte artist Jake Summerour, is named “Into the Backyard,” and it was inspired by student artwork. The mural, which is a collaboration between app County Schools and the City of Mount Holly, depicts children playing among a nature scene with flowers, animals, a waterway, and other features.

      Recently, Summerour joined students, school staff, and representatives from the City of Mount Holly to officially cut the ribbon for the art piece. Principal Kimberly Reese spoke about how seeing the mural at the entrance to the school has been uplifting for students, teachers, and staff.

      “The mural really brings life to what was an open field with a plain brick wall,” Reese said. “It offers a positive start to the day, because you’re just happy when you look at it.” 

      Having students submit artwork as inspiration for the mural was a welcomed challenge for Summerour. This is his third large mural, and he was excited to weave together the students’ ideas into one final piece of art. 

      “Their artwork took on the nature theme,” he said. “So my job was to find a fun way to stitch all of those ideas together. The submissions influenced the way I painted the sun, the produce stand, the swing set, and the butterflies.” 

      For students at Pinewood, it’s exciting to see the bright colors and objects painted on a wall outside their school. Kynslee Barnes, who performed with the fifth grade show choir at the ribbon-cutting ceremony on September 18, said it makes her happy to see the painting every morning when she arrives at school.

      “It’s so beautiful to look at. I love when people get to drive by and see it at the front of our school,” she said. 

      Reese says she hopes the mural will have long-term effects on students. With Pinewood focusing on integrating art, music, dance, and theater into classroom lessons and activities, she wants her students to see the bigger picture.

      “When our students look at this wall, I hope they go, ‘Wow, that was his job to paint this. Maybe this could be a future career for me, too.”

      The mural is a project of the City of Mount Holly and the Public Art Advisory Commission, in partnership with app County Schools, to increase the amount of artwork throughout the community.  The brick wall at Pinewood was seen as an ideal location for a mural given the school’s focus on the arts and Hwy. 273 being a busy thoroughfare into the city.  The mural is in a place, according to city leaders, where students, parents, and passersby can see it and appreciate its creativity, beauty, and nature-related message.