Thirty street artists painted murals on the walls of this Miami school during Art Week

Miles away from the glitz and glamour and duct-taped bananas of Miami Art Week, Nina Valkhoff was hard at work in the hot Miami sun last Friday painting a massive mural at Madison Middle School in West Little River.

Valkhoff, who is from The Netherlands, was one of about 30 artists from around the world volunteered their time and creativity to beautify the school. Throughout the week, artists painted murals of various sizes and themes on previously blank interior and exterior walls.

The project was organized by aWall Mural Projects, a Miami-based nonprofit run by Sergio Arce that has brought the arts to school children through murals and workshops for the last eight years. This year, along with Madison Middle School, artists painted murals at Miami Sunset Senior High and Southside Preparatory Academy. Artists volunteered to do the work, paying for their art supplies and travel expenses out of pocket or with the help of donations and sponsors.

The school community has had an overwhelmingly positive reaction to the artists’ murals, said Alten Russell, the Madison school principal.

“It’s all about school pride and making kids want to come to school,” he said. “This is a very old building, so when kids come into the building and see this, their eyes light up and they can say, ‘Wow, I go to Madison Middle School.’”

Russell met Arce when he worked at Paul L. Dunbar K-8 Center in Wynwood, where aWall produced murals in the past.

“I told him, ‘The moment I get my own school as a principal, I need you to hook us up.’ And he did that,” Russell said. “He came out, took some pictures of the walls, he blasted them out to the different artists. Artists submitted these wonderful sketches. And I told him, ‘Let’s go for it.’”

Access to arts is extremely important for students, regardless of their socioeconomic background, said Samara Ash, a Miami-based artist. Her mural, a piece called “Ascension,” is one of the first things students see as they walk through the front of the school: A powerful, blue mustang emerges from a pink and purple galaxy. The mustang is a nod to the school’s mascot.

“It means unbound potential,” she said. “Inspiring the kids to be that Mustang that is flying through space.”

Ash recently learned about aWall when she was in Memphis painting murals for underserved communities with about 100 other artists, she said. Some friends she made encouraged her to get involved, and she jumped at the opportunity to give back to the community, she said.

Painting the mural at the middle school is especially meaningful for Ash, she said. Born in Bogota, Colombia, Ash immigrated to the United States with her family as a child. Her family had little money, and she worried about how she could support herself. One day in school, a teacher gave her hope. “You can paint,” she told her.

“It was through art that I was able to feed myself, travel the world and do all these things. It helped me to stay guided, stay out of trouble, and find a path towards triumph. That’s the reason why I made this mural.”

Students were curious and excited about the murals all week, Valkhoff said. On Friday, as she took a break, a small group of students walked out of their classroom to see her work. The colorful painting of a Florida panther gazing at whales took them by surprise.

“Yo! Oh my God!” they said.

While Valkhoff has been featured in exhibits around the world and painted murals in across Europe and Latin America, the painting at Madison Middle School is her first in the United States.

“This feels amazing,” Valkhoff told the Herald. “Wherever I paint, I do it for the community.”

The school now has something of an international gallery on the walls of their school boasting styles by acclaimed street artists.

In one hallway, artist AGPNT painted a mural of swimming koi fish to bring “good fortune” to the school. On another wall, Detroit-based artist Zach Curtis painted a giant pair of Nike sneakers. Oliver Crisostomo, who goes by Congo, traveled to Miami from Lima, Peru. His mural, called “Kallpa,” depicts a Native American child and a mustang.

“It’s for the kids,” he said. “If they enjoy it, I’m happy.”

Edoardo Trionfera, an Italian artist based in The Netherlands who goes by Dodici, painted one of the larger murals: a scene of different feet and shoes walking down a sidewalk, some barefoot, some wearing heels, some wearing sneakers. The artwork represents people from all walks of life, he said.

“I really hope it’s going to be an inspiration for them,” he said “Maybe if someone has an artistic touch, maybe seeing us working here can be like an inspiration to try to do this job in the future and believe that art is a real job, not just a hobby.”

This story was originally published December 11, 2024 at 4:30 AM.