The mural stretched across an entire wall of the cafeteria at the Expo Alternative Learning Center in Waterloo.

Scaffolding laid over white cloth peppered with colorful flecks of paint held four Expo students diligently painting an array of trees sprouting from green grass beneath a sky streaked with purples and blues, all under the watchful eye of four University of Northern Iowa art education students and Associate Professor of Art Wendy Miller.

The UNI students toggled between painting and instructing – use this color here or use the side of your brush to make the lines thin there.

Up on the scaffolding, the Expo students laughed and joked or silently focused on bringing the mural to life. They work on the project for two hours every week. When it’s time to clean up for the day, they raise a cry of protest. They don’t want the UNI students to leave.

The mural is a product of Miller’s Issues and Theories in Art Education course, which studies the ways art can impact others and how art can give voice to people who are often left out of the conversation. In this way, the Expo Alternative Learning Center is the ideal venue. The school brings in students from across the Cedar Valley who have struggled in some way in other schools.

“The mural is a great example of giving voice to a small population of students who may not have the chance to otherwise,” Miller said.

The community art project is also especially suited for Expo, because the school currently lacks an art teacher, making the mural a vital outlet for the Expo students’ creative expression.

“The students at Expo are very creative, and each brought unique skills to the mural project,” Miller said. “We were impressed by how motivated they were to do this and how much they are enjoying school because of this project. It has helped the students feel like leaders in their school and feel ownership and pride in their school. And their confidence has grown tremendously since we began.”

Expo student Easton Jenks said working with the UNI students has helped improve her art skills.

“Meeting these people and having this experience is something I’d never give up,” Jenks said. “The UNI students have been super supportive, and they’ve us a lot with learning how to paint.”