Entering this project we were not prepared for the impact the image of the mural in Denver would have on us. We wanted to use a mural as our piece of artwork because of the impact murals have within communities. For the community murals are in they bring positive energy and attention to the area. This kind of street art can change the outlook of an area or community, which can change the way those in the area are viewed. This is an example of positive change art can bring to individual lives, communities, and the world as a whole.

          This particular mural by Damon Soule and Justin Lovato captured our interest and eye immediately. What drew Meghan to this art piece originally, the waves coming off of the black and white section rippling across the rest of the piece that is in color, tying it all together. The more she looked at the piece, the more she loved it. Meghan enjoyed the mural so much that it blew her mind that it is street art in Denver.

         Meghan also had her mom encounter the mural; however she did not tell her anything about the image. She simply pulled up the image on a computer in front of her and began to ask her questions while recording her answers. Through this process Meghan learned to look at new parts of the image she did not before. They had similarities regarding what they noticed first and their definitions of art, but how they encountered the artwork was not the same. Her mom defined art as, “… a creation by somebody because I think people have a lot of different ways to express themselves and art is an expression of how they can express their feelings” (Rogers). Meghan agrees with this broad definition that art is anything that expresses one’s feelings or emotions. Along with our broad definitions they both noticed black and white section instantly. However, their encounter after their initial look at the image differed. The more Meghan encountered the artwork, she was motivated to explore and get out and be adventurous, almost as if she should walk down the rocks towards the horizon to see what is there. One the flip side however, originally her mom stated she was not motivated, but after a few silent second of looking more at the mural she changed her mind to state, “…it motivates me to figure out where this is, if it’s a picture taken” (Rogers). This answer is interesting because it shows the important of having background information. Meghan was captivated by the mural itself when looking at the image, but her mom was intrigued to figure out exactly what was going on in the image as a whole. Alysa, Meghan’s partner for the project was also motivated, but in a different way compared to Meghan and her mom. Alysa encountered the image, she saw it as there is always light at the end of the tunnel. The reason she see this was because it starts off black and white which to her represented limited choices, but when you realize there is more that can be done it is seen through the radiating colors. Intrigued was the emotion she stated when asked what emotions she associated with the artwork. Due to the lack of knowledge of what exactly the image was of her mom stated, “It makes me intrigued to look at it all, like all of the different aspects like when I first looked at it all I saw was this [black and white circle], but then I saw the color and see what is in the picture, is it a wall of a place, right here looks like parking spots, right here looks like the a regular sky with trees over here and piping over here [left side of image]” (Rogers). As she was pointing out the different aspect of the image Meghan realized she had not even really taken into account the surroundings of the mural because she knew exactly what and where it was. Meghan had not seen the parking spaces, or piping that was part of the mural itself, or the graffiti words in the top on another wall of the building the mural was on. However, her mom’s curiosity of the art piece led her to look around the mural to try and figure out where and what exactly it was because she did not tell her anything about the work, including that it was a mural. Meghan however saw the image and clicked on it. This led her to a website that was promoting Denver street art, so as she wrote about her encounter with the piece, she knew it was a mural. Therefore, she feels like she was more focused on the art piece itself versus its surroundings. Meghan realized through her mom’s encounter with the mural that information known before looking at artwork can change how one experiences the artwork itself.

                                                        Works Cited

Rogers, Meghan E, and Michelle A Rogers. “Let’s Talk About Art Project .” Newburyport , 27

              Mar. 2018, pp. 1–2.