Mural on the Canteen Wall
The Year 9 visual arts class has been asked to paint a 6 m by 2.4 m exterior wall beside the school canteen. The class has $120, two tins of white exterior acrylic, one tin of ochre, one tin of black, six assorted brushes and no projector. The wall faces west, receives strong afternoon sun, and has a concrete lip where rainwater runs off. The paint label says four hours between coats and no application above 35°C. The canteen manager wants a health message about drinking water. A sponsor offers another $80 if the school includes its soft-drink logo. Students propose a large rising sun, eight handprints and a border based on a clan pattern. A community elder says the clan pattern is owned by a family and cannot be used without permission. One student wants graffiti-style lettering; another wants neat block letters. The class has five half-day sessions before the school open day.
1. Recommend a design and a five-session painting sequence that fits the material, weather and cultural constraints. Justify each main choice.
Read the worked answer
Choose a design that a small group can finish in five half-days and that will survive sun and runoff. A workable layout is a white base coat, a large rising sun in ochre, handprints in ochre and black, and block lettering for the health message in English and the local language. Replace the clan border with a simple geometric pattern, or ask the elder to negotiate permission and credit the clan; do not copy it merely because it looks attractive. Sequence: session 1 wash the wall, scrape loose paint, mask edges and apply white base before 11 a.m.; session 2 apply a second white coat and draw a grid; session 3 paint the ochre sun and handprints; session 4 add black outlines and lettering; session 5 touch up and apply varnish if available. Paint early because the west-facing wall gets hot and blistering is likely. Keep black for last so errors can be covered. Check lettering from 10 m for legibility.
2. The soft-drink sponsor asks whether the logo can go beside the health message. Explain how you would respond, including the ethical and practical reasoning.
Read the worked answer
A soft-drink logo beside a water health message sends a contradictory message, especially to younger students. The extra $80 is useful, but it is not enough to overturn the canteen's health aim. Respond politely: thank the sponsor, explain the school's healthy-eating message, and offer a neutral acknowledgement such as “supported by a local business” without the product logo. Alternatively, ask whether the sponsor will support a water-refill station with a small name credit. Consult the principal before accepting any condition and put the agreement in writing. If the sponsor insists on the logo, decline the $80 and scale the design down-fewer colours, same message-rather than accept a hidden conflict. The test is whether a visitor could understand the wall's health message without also being sold a sugary drink.
3. The two lettering supporters cannot agree. Describe a fair process for deciding, using specific criteria and evidence.
Read the worked answer
Turn the disagreement into a design test. Agree criteria first: legible from 10 m, readable by younger students, fits the space, can be painted with six brushes, and respects the elder's conditions. Paint two sample boards-one graffiti-style, one block-using the actual colours and wall surface. Ask five people not in the class, including a teacher and a younger student, to read them from 10 m. Discuss the results against the criteria, not against who is louder. If both pass, use block letters for the health message and allow a small graffiti-style element in a non-text area so both students contribute. Record the decision and show the principal and elder before painting the wall. This process produces evidence, protects the message and gives both students a stake in the finished work.