by Geunseok Song, Sua Yoo, and Jimin Park
On September 11, Mike Johnston, a street artist from Texas known as Truth, visited ASW. He was invited by the HS art teacher, Ms. Fernandez, who was inspired by his eye-catching and engaging street art.
During the visit, Mr. Johnston gave a lecture to the students about the techniques and skills he employs in his artworks to help the students on the current street art unit. Also, he designed and painted numerous murals in collaboration with middle school and high school students.
One of the murals the students painted is a huge panel of the word “Warszawa.” This mural displays different pictures in each letter of the word Warszawa, such as Chopin and the Mermaid Statue, in order to represent iconic features of Warsaw. The panel was finished in three days, and it will be hung above the library entrance.
10th grade student Jeong Bin L. said, “Working alongside with Mr. Johnston was very thrilling and he was really friendly and easy to work with. This experience has definitely helped me appreciate and also enjoy the street art unit.”
According to Ms. Fernandez, having students collaborate with Mr. Johnston helped them get a better understanding of the process of mural painting and street art. She finds Mr. Johnston’s positive attitude and passion to his art a virtue that ASW students can apply to their work, making ourselves happy, and in turn, making others happy.
