upcoming grant deadline: 05/15/2024

upcoming grant deadline: 05/15/2024

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Misty Sol creates a mural for the Musical Garden Program at Bluford Elementary

Misty Sol creates a mural for the Musical Garden Program at Bluford Elementary

Press, community, and school officials were on site this past Thursday, October 19, as artist Misty Sol unveiled an afrofuturistic impression of two Philadelphia legends, astronaut Guion Bluford and music great Kenny Gamble, in the atrium of Universal Charter School, Bluford Elementary, at 58th and Master Street in West Philadelphia as a part of their musical garden program.

The 4x6 mural depicts them surrounded by a harvest of vegetables and children with the night sky as the background. Misty expressed her passion and inspiration for creating the painting and spoke on the importance of using creative arts and gardening in schools.

A systems perspective on food was presented by Terrence Topping-Brown, who encouraged children to feed worms food scraps that produced fresh compost they used to plant seeds. They watered the trays and filled the greenhouses that will be used for winter growing inside classrooms. The children tasted arugula grown inside the musical garden and enjoyed smoothies before returning to class.

The Musical Garden was funded by Lowe's Toolkit school improvement grant and designed by Melody Muhammad.

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