Montrose Library unveils new mural painted by local students

Visitors to the Montrose Library now have a front row seat to an underground world of bugs and critters painted by 15 Daily High School students.

The creative minds behind the new outdoor mural unveiled it Tuesday.

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The artwork is imprinted on the retaining wall of a drainage ditch that can be seen from the window of the children’s section.

The view was previously an eyesore, said Library Supervisor Tiffany Barrios.

So six months ago, she recruited the talents of the Daily High students to improve it.

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Montrose Library Supervisor Tiffany Barrios, right, holds open celebratory ribbons as Friends of the Glendale Public Library member Nini Maldonado takes a photo of a new mural created by Daily High School design class students, in Montrose on Tuesday, March 15, 2016.

  (Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

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Detail of the new Montrose Library mural, created by Daily High School design class students, unveiled in Montrose on Tuesday, March 15, 2016. It took 15 students two trimesters, on and off, to create the artwork, which was painted at the school on synthetic fabric, before installing it on the retaining wall of a drainage area outside a window in the children’s section of the library.

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  (Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

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Montrose Library children’s librarian Rubina Markosyan helps young children find the animals painted on a new mural created by Daily High School design class students, in Montrose on Tuesday, March 15, 2016. It took 15 students two trimesters, on and off, to create the artwork at school, using synthetic fabric, before installing it on a retaining wall/drainage area outside a window in the children’s section of the Montrose library.  (Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

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Detail of the new Montrose Library mural, created by Daily High School design class students, unveiled in Montrose on Tuesday, March 15, 2016. It took 15 students two trimesters, on and off, to create the artwork at school, using synthetic fabric, before installing it on a retaining wall/drainage area outside a window in the children’s section of the Montrose library.  (Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

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The Montrose Library has a new mural created by Daily High School design class students, unveiled in Montrose on Tuesday, March 15, 2016. It took 15 students two trimesters, on and off, to create the artwork at school, using synthetic fabric, before installing it on a retaining wall/drainage area outside a window in the children’s section of the Montrose library.  (Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

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Some of the Daily High School students who helped create a mural for a retaining wall outside a children’s area window enjoy snacks at the unveiling of the artwork, at the Montrose Library in Montrose on Tuesday, March 15, 2016. It took 15 design class students two trimesters, on and off, to create the artwork at school, using synthetic fabric, before installing it on a retaining wall/drainage area outside a window in the children’s section of the Montrose library.  (Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

Now there’s a marching line of red ants navigating a tunnel, a rabbit burrowing with a huge stockpile of acorns and a maze for older kids, Barrios said.

“We wanted something that [kids and families] could come back to week after week and be engaged with it in different ways,” she said. “We wanted something that would draw them back.”

Another one of the goals was to come up with an idea that down the road would do a good job of blending in with a large tree nearby and the insects that stop by outside.

The mural was first painted on synthetic fabric and then installed on the retaining wall last week, said Emily Goff, a Daily High design teacher.

She and her students came up with the idea of what the mural should look like and had some help along the way from muralist Roger Dolin.

The Friends of the Glendale Library chipped in by paying for the art supplies.

Goff said her students are always on the lookout for real world projects and are now working on another mural at Fremont Elementary.

“I think it’s fabulous for them to see that their efforts make a difference in the community (and) can have a positive impact on their neighborhoods,” she said.

Senior Daniel Ramirez was one of the participating students who worked primarily on the treasure chest.

It was his first art class and he’d eventually like to take another.

Ramirez learned about mixing colors during the course, which he said emphasized teamwork.

“I got to meet people and talk to people I didn’t talk to,” he said. “My communication skills have improved.”

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Arin Mikailian, arin.mikailian@latimes.com

Twitter: @ArinMikailian

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