Artists Registry

My name is Linda Woods and I am an art teacher at St. John's School in Houston, Texas. The mural in this portfolio was made by three students in my second grade class; Vijay Patel, Ryan Fiedorek, and Roosh Bhosale. The project grew out of a class assignment to create group murals of cities that were to be installed in our school's public areas as semi-permanent decor. This group of boys asked from the very beginning if they could do the Twin Towers and 9/11 as their subject. At first I said no. I wondered how second graders could have the insight to tackle this sensitive subject and tragedy. They were only babies when those planes flew into the towers. They kept begging me to let them do it, and I finally agreed. From the very beginning of the project they approached each detail with purpose and seriousness. For almost six weeks they worked on this large piece. Many amazing conversations took place and they learned so much as a result of this experience. As I was watching this unfold, it was difficult for me on some days as it seemed that new facts were needing to be told to them so that they could further understand how to tell their story accurately. Truth was what mattered to them. The more they learned, the more they wanted to know. The smoke, which is one of the most powerful aspects of their mural, evolved from an accidental spill of gray paint. The paint landed in exactly the spot where smoke would arise from the towers. At first horrified, the boys then clapped their hands together as they realized it could become smoke. I showed them how they could add some white and fingerpaint that smoke. That was a very sobering experience for me to show young children how to fingerpaint smoke on their mural about 9/11. Other children began to notice their project as it evolved. All commented on how sad it was, but also how great it was. Each day, other students wanted to see more of what they had added to the mural. As I watched this mural come about, I was struck by the compassion that was rising in my students. Who knows, perhaps Vijay, Ryan, Roosh, or even some of the other students affected by their work will become peacemakers or diplomats someday. All of the boys are very proud of their work and are thrilled that it was accepted by the National Memorial and Museum for September 11th.