“Who are we?”: exploring adolescent identity and community through collaborative mural art

This thesis explores how participation in a high school mural club influences students’ sense of personal identity and community. By creating and leading a mural club, I guided students in designing and painting murals around their school and extending this work into the local community, all focused on how students defined themselves within the context of the school’s motto: “A Star is Rising”. I used qualitative methods including surveys, observational notes, artist statements, and visual documentation to examine and analyze how students experienced identity and collaboration throughout the process. The findings show that the creation of these murals provided students with a meaningful space to express themselves, develop confidence in their artistic skills, and build stronger connections with their peers and school environment. Overall, this project demonstrates the power of student art experiences in supporting the development of adolescent identity and shared purpose.