From left: John Vance of Tree Town Murals; 12-year-old Mika Gasco, daughter of a Mitchell teacher; Ryan Dorsey, husband of a teacher; third-grader Ka'onna Glenn; Tree Town Murals artist Mary Thiefels; third-grader Carly Mesa-Acosta; and second grade teacher Sally Brieloff help paint a mural on the side of Mitchell Elementary School in Ann Arbor on June 11.

Angela J. Cesere | AnnArbor.com

Ann Arbor's Mitchell Elementary School is looking a bit more colorful - and inspiring - these days.

That's because on Friday evening, about 30 students, parents, teachers and friends gathered at Mitchell for an ice cream social and to finish painting a large mural on the side of the gym.

The finishing touches came just a few weeks after TreeTown Murals owner Mary Thiefels and Mitchell art teacher Sarah Winter began working with fourth- and fifth-graders to plan, design and paint the mural.

Winter and Thiefels got together to answer the following questions about the mural by e-mail:

Q: What is the purpose of the mural and where did the idea come from? 

A: The vision for the mural started for Sarah Winter years ago while attending her son's soccer games at the Scarlett Middle School soccer fields, driving past the big blank Mitchell gymnasium wall. The wall begged for a mural.

Two years ago, when Winter became a Mitchell Elementary art teacher, she became more and more convinced that the Mitchell community needed a great work of art as a source of inspiration and pride.

She teamed up with her long time friend, painter and professional mural artist, Mary Thiefels of TreeTown Murals, to begin planning for the project. ...

Thiefels was invited to present her work to the Mitchell student body so the kids would begin to learn about the importance of mural art in our town and throughout history. Fourth-graders studied the mural art of Chicago and Philadelphia, then brainstormed ideas for the Mitchell Mural design with the help of Winter and Thiefels.

Q: What was the cost?

A: The budget from the school was capped at $1,000, (and) TreeTown Murals donated the rest of the expenses, totaling another $3,000, to the project.

Q: What is on the mural? 

A: A Harlem Renaissance painter, Aaron Douglas, inspired the mural design. Douglas' use of color, shape, and overall composition was a perfect match for the "Paint-By-Number" process Thiefels and Winter wanted to use for the layout of the mural. This brand new way of designing the mural has made the process of painting the mural smooth and less intimidating for all who have helped. ...

The imagery in the mural came from photographs of Mitchell students taken specifically for this project. Members of Mitchell's Student Council were photographed in a variety of poses representing parts of the core curriculum. A special emphasis on the power of reading is symbolized by the central figure holding aloft a book with waves of energy eminating from it. The hands around the border of the design make peace signs and "Mitchell high-five" signs. The Mitchell High-Five is a school wide creed of responsibility and achievement. Beams of light shine from the community of hands toward the book.

Q: Who participated? 

A: The fourth-graders and select fifth-graders were chosen for the project. A new block schedule in effect at Mitchell allowed a whole week for the students to plan and design the mural, and another whole week to paint the mural.

Q: When was the mural started, and how large is it? 

A: Planning and research began in mid-May. Painting began in early June. ... The size of the mural is 12 feet by 24 feet.

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