Students Showcase Native Ecology Through Upcycled Mural
This summer, the walls of Creative Action’s UpFront Gallery came alive with color, creativity, and an exploration of our region's ecology. Through a sponsorship from Austin Climate Action and Resilience, summer campers learned about Central Texas’ native species while creating vibrant gelli prints, collages, and murals with reused and upcycled materials. The result? A foyer full of color, creativity, and local wildlife — and a deeper understanding of how everyday choices can help keep Austin’s ecosystems thriving.
As the mural grew throughout the summer, more than 250 students left their mark on the installation, each animal collage a reminder of the creativity and care our next generation is bringing to our community. Visitors to the UpFront Gallery this summer got to experience a mural by young artists imagining a future where people and wildlife thrive together.
"Through our mural installation representing the three main ecoregions of Central Texas, and upcycled print and collage workshops, students will come to understand practices they can take to keep Austin alive with biodiversity," UpFront Gallery shares. "We hope that this will foster a passion for the environment and understanding in future adults about how they can keep our native species safe throughout their lifetime."
Check out photos of how the project evolved below.
Left to right: Creative Action’s art studio just before the campers arrived; art teacher explains the activity to the summer campers.
Top to bottom: Campers roll paint on gelli print plates; Campers reveal patterns and prints they created on the paper.
Left to right: Bucket of scrap materials used to press onto the paint plates to create patterns; art teacher sets out information cards on different Texas native species for inspiration.
Top to bottom: A stack of prints that campers created; Creative action teacher sits with campers while they create art.
Left to right: Camper cuts pieces of paper to create wildlife art; camper holds up a final art piece — a native Texas bird.
Students place their native species art pieces in the respective ecoregion of the mural.
