MISSOULA - If you’re walking down West Broadway you might notice two new murals painted down one of the alleys.
The unique thing about these murals is that they were painted by teenagers. The Teen Art Project (TAP) is a free summer program put on by the Missoula Art Museum to encourage teenagers to express their creativity and learn from professional artists.
Their big summer projects which, were unveiled Wednesday night, were two murals that followed the theme “fill the void”. Knowing these murals will now be permanent structures on these buildings meant a lot to Savannah Faller who helped work on the murals.
“I love doing art it’s one of my favorite things probably and being able to display it and make it so there’s something for everyone in Missoula to see and understand," Faller said. "It really helps with just the whole art aspect it makes me feel good that other people can enjoy it too.”
Throughout the project, the teens learned about more than just art. They also learned about teamwork, community and leadership which was noticed by their instructors.
Our design changed a little bit when like right toward the beginning of the painting so we ended up having a lot more painting to do," explained Otis Aiello an intern with the Missoula Art Museum. "And the teens were there like every single day, extra days, to get all the painting done which was super cool to see. And they helped with the designs and they were super consistent in showing up which was super cool.
No matter what these artists pursue, the Teen Art Project has taught them valuable skills they take into any career.
