Community Walls mural unveiled at the San Francisco City Center Hostel

Posted by admin on Mar 25, 2009

There’s nothing quite like the shine of pride in a child’s eyes when she presents a piece of artwork to an adult with a smile that says, "I made this, just for you."

On March 18, the San Francisco City Center Hostel was brimming with such smiles, as youth from the Ernest Ingold Boys and Girls Club unveiled an 18-foot-long mural of Golden Gate Park, which they created through Hostelling International USA’s Community Walls program.

Parents, program facilitators, HI staff, and hostel guests joined the kids (ages 6-9) at the "Park Art" reception to celebrate their momentous achievement, the realization of an eight-week collaboration between the Boys and Girls Club and HI-USA Golden Gate Council.

Adult guests mingled and admired the artwork and informational displays, while the budding artists enjoyed a slide show and a tour of the seven-story hostel. The event culminated in a heartfelt ceremony, in which the young participants were awarded special certificates of achievement, and in turn gave handmade cards to their facilitators.

The highlight of the evening was the screening of a short video — made by Community Walls intern Lindsay Carver — chronicling the creation process of the mural and the participants’ passion for the project.

"It was just fun being with the kids," said Carver. "They’re always inspiring and refreshing to be around. They had outstanding energy and enthusiasm for the project. Sometimes we get jaded as adults, and think kids don’t want to create art, with all the video games and other things they have. Going into this environment reminds you it’s natural for kids to be artistic."

The project began in January with an artistic exploration of the pride of the Club’s neighborhood — Golden Gate Park. Students spent time sketching and taking textural rubbings in the park as part of their research to create the mural. After research was completed, the artwork easily came to fruition. Through a combination of painting, drawing, and collage, the artists lovingly depicted some of their favorite park landmarks — such as the Japanese Tea Garden, the buffalo enclosure, and the windmill — across three 4′x6′ canvases.

"This was just a wonderful partnership, it’s sad to see it come to an end," said Beth Molnar, art director of the Ernest Ingold Boys and Girls Club. "The kids really got to know the HI staff, and the staff got to know the kids, and that doesn’t always happen with partnerships like this."

"I had such a great turn-out every week," Molnar continues, "which is not normal for the Boys and Girls Club since the kids have so many programs to choose from. For them to come back week after week was huge."

The painting was created through the Community Walls mural project, a fun and educational program created by Hostelling International USA that asks youth "What is it like to live in your community?" It will continue to be on display at the City Center Hostel, so it can serve its purpose of sharing youth perspectives from local communities with travelers from around the world.

• Watch a short video about the project created by Community Walls intern Lindsay Carver.
• See photos of the reception on our Flickr site.