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For additional information or questions, contact John Helmholdt at (616) 819-2149 or email at [email protected]
A team of visionary and creative art students from Grand Rapids Public Schools are working to create a mural to enter into this year’s ArtPrize competition with support from several local businesses.
Local artists Georgia Taylor and Marco Riolo are working with student artists from Grand Rapids Public Schools. Students on the creative team are Sophie Rodriguez, a junior at Creston High School, and 2011 Ottawa Hills graduate Maurica Stewart. Students on the production team are Robert Daylie, Zaylie Bebee, and Luiz Farfen. The mural will be on display at DeVos Place during ArtPrize.
The subject of the mural: the students’ expression of I Believe I Become, the rally cry for a local education initiative now in its second year.
“We asked the students what I Believe I Become means to them,” said Taylor. “I think their artistic expression of this concept is going to take your breath away. It’s about the power of hope and potential and youth and the human spirit.”
Several local businesses are supporting the project. Buist Electric gave a generous cash contribution, Rockford Construction is providing studio space, Standard Lumber and Modern Hardware are donating materials, and DeVos Place is sponsoring a reception featuring the mural on October 1.
Believe 2 Become is a collaborative partnership of hundreds of organizations and individuals who believe in the unlimited potential of Grand Rapids students, and expect them to succeed. By creating real opportunities for students to become the people they aspire to be, Believe 2 Become aims to close the achievement gap in Grand Rapids by 2020.
Believe 2 Become, a neighborhood initiative designed to help children succeed in school, work and life, is a collaborative effort of Grand Rapids Public Schools, Grand Rapids Student Advancement Foundation, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, and Doug & Maria DeVos Foundation.
Check out more stories from the GRPS Class of 2011 and tell Grand Rapids students that you believe in them by visiting www.ibelieveibecome.org/students.
*Written by Lexx Dimkoff, GRPS
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