MRHS Art Students Will Have Mural Displayed at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo
Marlboro High School’s chapter of the National Art Honor Society collaborated with the Tokyo Joshi Gakuen School in Tokyo, Japan to complete a mural that will be displayed at the 2020 Olympics in Japan this summer.
The project was made possible through the Japan Art Mile Foundation, an international collaboration with students from different countries and regions (approximately 205 participants worldwide). Participating schools are partnered and together create a mural that will represent their country through art and design. Marlboro High School is the only school in the United States who is participating in this international art project.
Together with Tokyo Joshi Gakuen School, the Art Society students chose from the proposed list of United Nations goals “Reduced Inequalities- Goal 10 SDG (Sustainable Development Goals- United Nations),” which breaks down into many different subcategories. The categories include Income Inequality, Gender Inequality, Maternal Mortality, Persons with Disabilities, and Children in Poverty to name a few.
The Japanese side of the mural utilizes a pixelated style that highlights the computer and technology-based art that is popular in Japan. The Japanese students “zoomed” into their side of the mural, focusing on gender and persons of disability issues, and breaking it down to its simplest pixelated pieces in order to connect to the idea of technology and art. They also used Mt. Fuji as a symbol in their image. The mountain is known to give blessings equally to all- which it why it is so prominently featured.
The Marlboro side of the mural “zooms” out and bring the bigger picture of all Global Inequalities into focus. As the mural transitions from the Japanese side to the American side, the pixels will get smaller, closer together, and eventually disappear to make the image clear. The clearer picture is the hope that all people across the globe will be treated equally with the same opportunities and respect. The imagery Marlboro chose to represent this is the Statue of Liberty- the “gateway” to America- as a symbol of welcoming all diversities equally. She is breaking down the walls of inequality, to show a diverse and equal America behind her. Throughout the Marlboro side, the group focused on Income Inequality in America (the wage gap), Diversity, Healthcare Inequalities, Maternal Mortality, and housing.
The completed project was sent back to Japan where it will be displayed during the upcoming Olympic Games.
The students who created the mural are Alexis Bonilla, Hadeline Lyons, Ava Trochiano, Olivia Downs, Hailey Ignarra, Sagdiana Rakhimova, Diana Rakhimova, and Caroline Panek.
News Coverage of the Mural Project: