b'Cross - generational MuralsIn addition to telling visual stories and supporting connections outside of the classroom, collaborative artmaking yields possibilities for socially transformative experiences through fosteringunderstandingandempathyamongdifferentagegroups(Whiteland,2013). Believing in the value and importance of developing empathy and understanding across different generations, I wanted to facilitate collaborative opportunities for high school students to meet the needs of different aged individuals in the community through art. I also wanted high school students to use their creativity and artmaking skills to transform a space beyond the classroom. To initiate this process I partnered with two administrators at a neighboring school in the local community that serviced students in grades fifth and sixth. At this campus there was a desire to enhance the school environment from sterile blank walls towards a visually inspirational space that represented and connected with the students who attended there. Workingwiththeirstudents,thecampusadministratorscameupwithfivephrasesthat represented the schools values. The phrases would then be interpreted by the high school students and developed into five murals to visually communicate the values of the younger aged students who attended the school. When I pitched this project to the high school students they were immediately on board and thrilled to represent a younger generation in the same community they grew up in. Connecting different age groups together through a shared goal was motivating for everyone involved in the project. The high school students managed planning, designing, and executing the murals collectively. They also communicated with the staff and younger students at the neighboring school throughout the process via photographs and electronic communication. During the initial phases of developing the murals the high school students self-divided into groups based on the phrases they most identified with and sketched ideas for possible compositions.Workingcollaborativelysparkedmeaningfulconversationsaboutdifferent compositional approaches and ideas that could be used to create and communicate visual stories inspired by each phrase. Students continued working together in groups to develop the mural compositions on large pieces of plywood based on combinations of their thumbnail sketches. 38TRENDS 2025'