Curious Creators: A Hopeful Journey

Seven elementary students worked collaboratively over the course of six afternoons to create a large-scale mural with Curious Creators founder, Birdie Oleniacz.

Inspired by Pope Francis' call to renewal as "Pilgrims of Hope" during the 2025 Jubilee Year, students were invited to reflect on and depict their own visions of hope.

For the first few classes, students drew and painted what hope looked like to them as individuals. 

Then, in later sessions, the group noticed similarities across their drawings. Many students chose similar images like clouds, the sun, flowers and rainbows; all symbols of God’s promise of protection. 

In order to decide which images would make their way into the final mural design, they began sketching their vision using the recurring symbols and transcribing the sketch onto large plywood panels.

Students learned that the collaborative process isn’t always easy, but it was well worth it! Their mural grew to be both literally and figuratively larger than themselves.

In the spirit of service, the group decided to work with Birdie to give their completed artwork to Fonticello Food Forest, a community garden and food pantry located in Fonticello Park on Richmond's Southside.

Students and their families recently came together in the park to celebrate its installation and admire its natural surroundings!