Full STEAM Ahead … a 3-dimensional wall mural

STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) is Drew Charter School’s map to a successful academic experience for its students.  Within this philosophy, students are taught with an emphasis on the design thinking and creative problem solving. This approach allows students to develop essential skills such as critical thinking, collaboration, communication and creativity.  Visible from the main entrance, they wanted a custom piece of are that would be an artistic representation of this philosophy.

The Design Process:

Despite its ornate appearance, the shiny surface of this mirror next to a flat paint lacked depth and warmth leaving this space feeling sterile. The goal was to create an artistic accent wall as an intriguing background you wanted to reach out and touch. Layering different materials on an accent wall creates a more stimulating design. It was the combination of opposites that balanced this look. Light vs dark, cool vs warm, smooth vs dimensional, contemporary vs traditional made the space more interesting and gave more visual weight to the mirror.

Our brainstorming became a lesson in Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math … all working together. Calling on their artistic right brain, members of the faculty contributed both creative and technical ideas for the design. The individual elements received a decorative finish that mimicked different metals.  These were then assembled on site. The team effort led to the successful completion of this wonderful 3-dimensional mural that is displayed proudly in the entrance to the administrative office.