Art Students Bring Their Goals to Life in Massive Schoolwide Self-Portrait Mural

Superstition Spring Elementary now features a new centerpiece in its halls - an expansive self-portrait mural created by every student and staff member on campus. Led by art teacher Betsy Baker, the project is a collaborative art piece that began at the start of the school year and highlights the creativity of every person at Superstition Springs.

The mural spans over 20 feet, filled with small square portraits made from paint chips. From a distance, the final piece appears almost like a color tapestry, with reds blending into oranges, then yellows, greens, blues, and purples in a smooth gradient from top to bottom. Up close, each square reveals a hand-drawn portrait, complete with personal details students added to express their goals, feelings, or hopes for the year.

To begin the project, Mrs. Baker introduced students to famous self-portraits and taught them foundational drawing techniques. Students selected a paint chip in a favorite color and followed a lesson on proportions, facial features, and simple background elements. They outlined their portraits in ink, added small symbolic details to express themselves, and drew a reflection about their goals for the year. Staff members completed the same process so students could recognize familiar faces within the mural.

Once drawings were complete, a student volunteer from Highland High helped sort more than 900 paint chips to create the 20-foot art piece. The color chips were organized by hue and brightness while separated into color families. The portraits were then mounted onto oversized butcher-paper panels, which were installed together to form the full mural. A large gold frame, inspired by the frame seen on the door in the TV show Friends, surrounds the final piece, helping it stand out in the hallway.

Once completed and hung in the hall, students gathered around the mural, pointing out their portraits and discovering where their square fit into the larger pattern. “The crowd around it lasted for days,” Mrs. Baker said. “It was wonderful to see students engage with something they helped build.”

For Superstition Springs Elementary, the project reflects the school’s commitment to connection, creativity, and belonging. “We’re grateful for the support that allows us to offer full-time art,” added Mrs. Baker. “Collaborative pieces like this remind students they are part of something bigger, and that their contribution matters.”

To learn more about art education across Gilbert Public Schools, visit GilbertSchools.net/Student-Life/Art-Education.