It Started With a Wall
There’s a new mural on campus at The SAE, and it’s hard to look away.
This project started with a clear vision: concept and create a mural celebrating The SAE and its diverse culture, community, and message. To bring it to life, we partnered with DJ Javier, a Global Brand Artist based in Santa Barbara, who worked alongside four of our student artists from start to finish. Up close, you can see every detail, every texture, every brushstroke against the brick. Back up a little, and it all comes together into one beautiful, unified image. That tension between the individual and the whole? It turns out, that’s exactly the point.
From Concept to Color
This wasn’t just a “pick up a brush and go” kind of project. DJ Javier guided the team through a real design process, from concept development all the way through to selecting a colorway for implementation. The motifs and messaging woven into the design reflect the values at the core of The SAE community: growth, exploration, development, community, inclusion, belonging, cross-collaboration, and dreaming big. Each figure in the mural is distinct, dressed in different patterns and colors, but they’re all moving in the same direction. Together. That’s not an accident. That’s The SAE.
The creative process wasn’t without its challenges. Painting on brick created unexpected texture that required real problem-solving. But seeing it come together, especially from a distance where all those individual choices resolve into one stunning piece, made every difficult moment worth it.
Made by Artists, for Artists
Working with a professional artist like DJ Javier gave our students a real taste of what creative collaboration looks like at the highest level. Each of the four student artists took on an individual figure in the mural, and they also worked together on the piece as a whole. This kind of project mirrors exactly what our students at The SAE practice every day: developing your own voice while building something bigger alongside other people. At The SAE, differences are celebrated, not just tolerated. Our mural makes this visible the moment you arrive on campus.
In Case You Don’t Already Know
We’re a tuition-free and audition-free arts charter school for grades 6–12, and at The School of Arts and Enterprise (The SAE), our students don’t just learn about art. They leave their mark with and on it.
Our brand new campus mural is proof. Want to be part of a community that creates things like this? Learn more about The SAE and apply today.
About The SAE
The School of Arts and Enterprise (The SAE) is an audition-free and tuition-free arts charter school serving grades 6-12. Our campuses are located in the Pomona, CA Arts Colony, surrounded by a thriving professional arts community. We offer nationally-recognized, award-winning arts education and creative entrepreneurship for young artists through project-based learning and flexible block scheduling. Students are supported by a close-knit community that values creative expression and celebrates differences. Join The SAE today! Enrolling now.
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