Beyond the classroom: building professional skills with the Flyaway mural

In April of 2022, I completed a collaborative mural at Reflection Riding Arboretum and Nature Center in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Reflection Riding hosts a radio antenna connected to the Motus Wildlife Tracking System, which studies animal migration routes through North, Central, and South America. Working collaboratively with artists Rondell Crier, Tyus Allen, and Professor Derek Witucki, we designed and installed a mural that would communicate the Motus research to their visitors in the absence of a Reflection Riding employee. The project was funded by various grants awarded by ArtsBuild and The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, and organized by budgets that fluctuated throughout the project. This thesis will discuss my research into the Motus system and local murals in Chattanooga. I will walk through my creative methodology and installation process and conclude with lessons I have learned through this project. By conducting research, honing painting and installation techniques, navigating professional relationships, and advocating for myself as an artist, this experience provided a critical foundation for my artistic career and taught me invaluable lessons that I could not have learned in the classroom space alone