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Reno High Schoolers Create Community Murals

Aishwarya Krishnamoorthy

The latest in a series of public art projects created by high school students has been unveiled. Reno Public Radio’s AishwaryaKrishnamoorthy was there and has more.

Credit Aishwarya Krishnamoorthy
The mural adds a splash of color to Wedekind Road. At the left of the image is another wall mural in progress.

Along busy Wedekind Road in north Reno, a group of high schoolers and their parents admire the whimsical and colorful mural that the students have painted.

Credit Aishwarya Krishnamoorthy
Organizers Kyle Chandler-Isacksen (Be the Change Project) and Emily Rogers (Sierra Arts Foundation) speak to the crowd.

“I think everyone agrees that art does ignite positive change, it also can just inspire creativity and engage people," said Emily Rogers, the Program Director of Sierra Arts Foundation, at the unveiling. Her group is one of many that collaborated to create the Public Art Works, or PAW, project. Students learn how to bring a public art piece to fruition and receive a stipend.

Credit Aishwarya Krishnamoorthy
Some of the students who worked on the mural pose for a photo with Kyle, Emily, and mentoring artist Pan Pantoja.

Kyle Chandler-Isacksen, the Executive Director of the Be the Change Project, another collaborator, says art is important for raising awareness and creating a better world.

“It’s our hope that by doing these projects, by engaging with neighbors, by getting to know people, helping people know each other, that there’s more a sense of connection to each other, to place, and that we can turn blight into this delight.”

Other PAW projects in the area include a giant tortoise sculpture and another mural in the works just down the road.

Credit Aishwarya Krishnamoorthy
Residents of the area have a colorful new art piece brightening up their neighborhood.

Other collaborators on the project are artist Pan Pantoja and sponsors Nevada Arts Council and Council Member McKenzie.

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