On Saturday, over a hundred community members flooded the 7th street plaza in waves. Each group was there to put their mark on the new street mural.
As part of the ARTPrenticeship program, Creative Waco held a community paint day for the mural.
Program director Stephen Uhey said this gives the public an opportunity to be an artist for a day.
"I think everyone is creative and sometimes you just lose that along the way in life," They said.
The ARTPrenticeship program began in 2018 and pairs high school students from across McLennan County with professional artists to create public art. The program is designed to give the high schoolers real-world experience in the arts.
Uhey said the community involvement helps bring the apprentices out of their shells.
"I hope they learn to be okay with being themselves while interacting with new people and learning how to speak about their work as an artist," he said.
In fact, he even encouraged the public to take time during their painting to ask the high schoolers about their work and what brought them into the program.
Second-year apprentice Mae Pellicer said that’s her favorite part of the program.
"I have been able to interact with more people than I would have on a daily basis," Pellicer said. " I have met people my age that share my passions."
Program Director Stephen Uhey says he hopes the apprenticeship will show the students there are opportunities for professional art in Waco.
"All of them have the skill set to be a professional working artist," They said. "And they don’t necessarily have to leave Waco to do that."
The students will keep working on the mural throughout the month, with a finish date expected late in June. But their work won’t end there.
The students will flex their design and production skills in a “Mural Battle” on June 21 at Eastside Market. Teams of 4 to 5 students will design and create 8-by-8 foot panels in the single day competition.
