The 2023 Pockets of Perception team poses against the backdrop of “Blooming Possibilities” during the Aug. 16 celebratory introduction at Salina Intermediate School in Dearborn.
By SUE SUCHYTA
Times-Herald Newspapers
DEARBORN – Vibrant colors provided a feast for the eyes as the 2023 Pockets of Perception student team celebrated its largest challenge to date, the “Blooming Possibilities” mural on Salina Intermediate School.
Sponsored by the Dearborn Community Fund, the mural represents an important contribution to Dearborn’s South End.
Sunshine Durant, POP team director and an art resource director for the Dearborn Public Schools, said that while she is proud of this year’s team, she is already looking forward to next year’s project.
She said she would love to create more murals in Dearborn’s South End and better represent Yemeni culture, which she said is under-represented from a mural perspective.
“I’d love to come here and show people that this is part of Dearborn also, because it’s kind of segregated over in this little corner of industrialization over here,” Durant said.
She said her team of student artists were both excited and nervous as they showcase their recently completed mural to the community.
“I’m super proud and I am very thankful for the community of the South End for having us and being very supportive,” Durant said. “I had nothing but the best time here and I would come back.”
Dearborn Community Fund Executive Director EmmaJean Woodyard (left) and Dearborn Public Schools Supt. Glenn Maleyko admire “Blooming Possibilities,” the 2023 Pockets of Perception mural at Salina Intermediate School in Dearborn during the Aug. 16 celebratory introduction.
Community Fund Executive Director EmmaJean Woodyard said she is overwhelmed as she takes in the finished mural’s beauty, the cohesiveness of the group and the impact that it has on the people who see the mural.
She said they would like to have more murals created in many locations.
“We’ve already been approached by a number of individuals who have businesses or facilities,” Woodyard said. “The problem is funding – it’s always about funding.”
She said the average cost for a mural is more than $10,000, since the project is an apprentice program.
“The students get a modest stipend to help them develop the work ethic, starting a project and going from start to finish,” Woodyard said. “It’s not a free thing for anybody, but we work hard to raise the money.”
She said the Community Fund is always looking for sponsors to help support the POP team. To learn more about sponsorships, go to the DearbornCommunityFund.org.
DPS Supt. Glenn Maleyko said Salina Intermediate School has a special place in his heart because it is where he began his career.
“When I see this, it’s fantastic, especially because of the students who were doing it and because it is a joint community partnership with all these groups,” he said. “I think it’s great and it’s a promotion of the arts and is just positive.”
Maleyko said he was there not only as the superintendent, but as a Rotarian and as an Exchange Club member as well.
“It’s all about people coming together, and I just think it is a great joint effort for the community,” he said. “The fact that students are involved and to see the work they do is just outstanding.”