Before they went back to their studies, summer was productive for a group of Reno highs school artists who refreshed the Keystone Bridge overpass base with the “poppin’ colors of a 70s psychedelic design,” as described by painter and Hug High student Ivana with a smile.
The bright and bold mural, designed by noted local muralist Hannah Eddy (@HannahEddy on Instagram) with the input of the students, replaces a flaking and faded turquoise water drop mural that had been there several years at the corner of Keystone and Riverside by the McKinley Art Center.
The teens involved in the painting were invited, and paid for their assistance, through the Nevada Art Museum and Community in Schools, along with the City of Reno. They worked closely with Eddy on developing and then creating the bright graphic design.
John, a student at enCompass Academy, pointed out the spitting snake he had suggested. The painting continues around a corner to a long wall filled with mountains, brightly colored birds, a frog, balloons for the balloon festival, and stylized desert plants.
“We all just put in ideas of what we felt describe Reno,” said Freya, a junior at enCompass. Emily, a Hug High junior, pointed out that the group of 12 students who helped paint the walls, did not really know each other before beginning to work together last February.
Each of the teens felt that working on the mural gave them a connection to Reno and a sense of pride. It also increased their artistic abilities and they said that working with Eddy, who has designed murals around the country, was both inspiring and fun.
The result is bright and very public art to add to both the urban Truckee River corridor and the city as a whole.