A group of students crowd around the blank wall on the side of the children’s museum. Two students  discuss the design, their hands moving enthusiastically as they describe their vision for the wall. Another dips her brush into bright blue paint to begin working on the wall, exercising caution as she follows the stencil. Equipped with their art tools, the students finish painting a mural they designed. These students are members of the Public Arts club, which was passed by the Legislative Council in February 2018.

Founded by sophomores Isabel Moh, Akshaya Ramakrishnan, Yutong Liu and Kaylin Li, the Public Arts club provides students with art projects to exercise their creativity. The club plans to engage members through on-campus activities such as chalk art in the quad during Homecoming and painting murals around campus. The officers hope to extend these artistic additions beyond the Lynbrook campus and paint electrical boxes and walls in nearby cities.

“Our goal is for students to receive an extra opportunity at school to express their creativity,” said club vice-president Ramakrishnan.

Unlike other art clubs on campus that focus more on arts and crafts, the officers of Public Arts club envision the club to be a place where student artists can brighten up and unite their community through their artwork while also receiving volunteer hours.

The officers did, however, face a few obstacles during the beginning stages of forming the club. One of the largest challenges was finding a club adviser, since many teachers were already busy with other club commitments. Luckily, the officers were able to overcome this obstacle and recruited PE teacher Porchia Jenkins.

“I talked to the girls and felt an instant connection with them and the opportunity to beautify the community,” said Jenkins. “They’re doing it because they really care about their community and enjoy giving back.”

The officers also faced while difficulties contacting various representatives of cities to get permission to paint utility boxes. Many would not respond, and so the girls went the extra mile to attend city council meetings in order to get in touch with the art heads of each city.

The Public Arts club is open to anybody who is interested in art and community service. Although more experienced members would help develop the club’s portfolio, the club will have events and activities for everyone. The club will be meeting on Mondays at lunch in room 78, with the club’s first meeting taking place on April 9.