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Students from Frontenac Public School and First Avenue Public School converged on The Studio Gallery at Queen’s Faculty of Education Tuesday for the unveiling of the 210 square foot mural representing their neighbourhood. The project, titled My Magical Neighbourhood, includes contributions from Grade 4 students.

“We normally pull from the Queen’s Education artistic pool for shows in this space, but this is a great opportunity to engage the community,” says Angela Solar, lecturer in the Faculty of Education and the curator of at Queen’s Faculty of Education “It also gives our teacher candidates a chance to see what children are learning about art. It’s an amazing experience.”

Led by Limestone District School Board’s artist in residence Nancy Douglas, the project encouraged the students to look at their neighbourhood through a different lens.

“This is a really wonderful experience for the students,” says Ms. Douglas. “They hadn’t seen the mural all together and mounted until today. It makes a huge impact on their lives with the public here, the media here and teachers and other students visiting the gallery.”

Ms. Douglas tackled the project in different stages. The students first had to sketch their home. Then they had to write a fable or a story about their home and neighbourhood. Next, she took them on a walking tour of their neighbourhood to learn about their surroundings. Finally, the students got together, designed the mural and created each panel representing where they live.

The show runs weekdays from 11 am to 2 pm until Oct. 10.