Feb. 29, 2024-- Earlier this month, Intermediate East welcomed its artist in residence, Jay Elders, a professional muralist and artist who will teach students and staff members the intricacies, technical skills, and creative processes behind creating a mural from scratch.

Today, Michael Roberson Reid from Artists in Education (AIE), the organization funding this endeavor through its residency grant program, paid the school a visit to check in and see how things are going.

What Reid witnessed is a mural taking shape, and students hard at work. The wall-length art, once complete, will feature a stunning and colorful image of a wave about to break on the Jersey Shore.

Elders has spent his time working directly with students, but also staff members, specifically art teachers Elisa Waller and Allison Berman. The mission of the AIE artist in residence program is to teach staff as much as, if not more than students, so that the lessons learned are sustainable and can be carried on to students indefinitely through the years.

In addition to seeing the residency's culminating artwork take shape, Reid met with the project's Steering Committee which includes Elders, Waller, Berman, Supervisor Christy Downs, Principal Bryan Madigan, and others. The verdict? So far, so great.