A mural in progress at McKinley Elementary animates parents
Artist Henry Goods, left, and Jenny Harris, a parent of a McKinley Elementary School student, at the mural Goods is painting for the school. Harris helped secure funds to hire Goods, who will incorporate drawings by students into the mural.
Artist tapped to paint work after parent secured grant funds and donations.
A mural going up at McKinley Elementary that will depict a scene from the Amazon jungle and its indigenous plants and animals is not yet complete, but the parents of children who attend the school are already in awe of it.
“The adults just stand around and stare at it. It’s not even half done yet,” said McKinley Principal Liz Costella.
Artist Henry Goods is currently working on a mural at McKinley Elementary School in Burbank. The mural will depict a scene from the Amazon jungle and will include drawings inspired by students’ own artwork.
Artist Henry Goods is currently working on a mural at McKinley Elementary School in Burbank. The mural will depict a scene from the Amazon jungle and will include drawings inspired by students' own artwork. (Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)
When Costella recalled first laying her eyes on the wall that will now house the mural, she was less than thrilled.
The wall is located where students eat lunch every day, and without a mural on it, it was boring and brown, Costella said.
“My first reaction was, I wouldn’t want to eat lunch here,” she added.
Then McKinley parent Jenny Harris secured funds to hire artist Henry Goods to create a mural.
Harris was not intent on placing the mural on any particular wall on campus, but Costella knew exactly where it should go.
Harris’ friend and fellow parent, Anne Askerneese, had enlisted the same artist to paint a mural at Stevenson Elementary.
To pay for the mural, Harris applied for a $2,500 grant through Burbank Arts For All, and she received the full amount.
Artist Henry Goods paints a new mural at McKinley Elementary School in Burbank on Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2015. The mural will be 76 feet long and 14 feet tall and will take about five weeks to complete.
Artist Henry Goods paints a new mural at McKinley Elementary School in Burbank on Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2015. The mural will be 76 feet long and 14 feet tall and will take about five weeks to complete. (Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)
The McKinley Elementary PTA pitched in another $500, and Catalina Paints, a shop in Burbank, donated the paint and primer.
Before he began work on the wall, Goods solicited drawings of animals and flowers from McKinley students, so he could incorporate their work into the final piece.
To go along with the school’s black panther mascot, the mural will also feature a South American black panther, images of which Harris researched in the Burbank Central Library.
“He’s taking the theme and running with it,” Harris said of the artist. “He’s making it really beautiful. Everybody’s really excited.”
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Kelly Corrigan, kelly.corrigan@latimes.com
Twitter: @kellymcorrigan
