
public art in schools
Jimmi offers a Public Art in Schools program to primary and secondary schools which he has run in schools across Victoria since 2018.
The program involves two main parts. The first is a school mural, developed by Jimmi with help from a focus group of interested students and staff. This mural is painted by Jimmi during school hours and students are able to watch the development of the mural from a blank wall to a finished artwork across a full school week. Students are encouraged to come and hang out with Jimmi during their recess and lunch breaks, where they can simply sit and watch, or can use the opportunity to chat with Jimmi about all sorts of aspects of public and visual art, and working in a career in the visual arts. There can also be the chance of some students working with Jimmi on the mural.
The second part of the Public Art In Schools Project involves pre-incursion classroom activities. For this, Jimmi includes a licensed copy of his two Trick of the Eye Workbooks. For younger students there is "Jimmi’s Trick of the Eye Colouring Workbook", where students first colour in and then cut out one of twelve specially designed colouring sheets. Students then use a camera or device to find the perfect viewing “sweet spot” where their artwork appears to be popping off the page in 3D. For older secondary students, there is "Jimmi’s Trick of the Eye 3D Street Art Workbook", which uses the same techniques, but upscales the artworks and takes the students outside onto the pavement, where they get to create their very own 3D Trick of the Eye chalk artwork.
There is more explanation as well as photos and videos regarding Jimmi's Trick of the Eye Workbook available on my website here. These two Trick of the Eye workbooks are supplied as a digital printable download, and offered to schools as a permanent part of their ongoing curriculum, meaning they can be used for years to come for many future activities.
If you would like more information on the Public Art In Schools Projects, please feel free to get in touch via the contact form at the bottom of the home page here
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Merino Consolidated School
In early 2023 I was lucky enough to be invited to the tiny but impressive school at Merino Consolidated to develop a mural for their water tank. I chose to created a trompe l’oeil mural depicting a window into the side of the tank where we can see native Australian animals swimming around inside. A wombat in a yellow polka dot bikini, a chicken in a flamingo floatie, a turtle swimming with a lifesavers hat on and a koala having a shower in the water running from the crack in the glass.


![Image[1].JPEG](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/9c0dca_2e57a41c79b1442fa11fc362e6b46397~mv2.jpeg/v1/crop/x_0,y_170,w_1870,h_1870/fill/w_302,h_302,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/Image%5B1%5D_JPEG.jpeg)


Mortlake P-12 College
I have been very fortunate to have been invited to Mortlake P-12 twice in the past few years for my Public Art In Schools projects. Students hung out with me every recess and lunch time asking hundreds of questions and watching their mural take shape.
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The second time I was invited, we asked for expressions of interest from the schools art students, who each had a chance to pitch their ideas for the mural and then pick up a brush and help me paint. It was a wonderful experience for everyone, but I have to say, mostly for me.





St Thomas, Terang
In early 2019 I worked with St Thomas Primary in Terang do develop a trompe l’oeil trick of the eye mural on one of their outside walls. We copied the inside corridors for the school, and I painted a mural to give the illusion that there was a doorway into the school corridor where native Australian animals were breaking into the school bags and eating student lunches.



St Patrick's, Camperdown
In early 2018 I worked with St Patrick's Primary in Camperdown do develop a trompe l’oeil trick of the eye mural on the wall by their undercover area. For this mural, I recreated one of the classrooms at the school seen through a painted "hole" in the brick wall. In the class room you can see the students and teacher are all native Australian animals.



