THE BIG P I C T U R E Ferris High School’s Mural connects continents By Tara Ryazansky Photos by Victor M. Rodriguez
“I
t’s kind of a fun little game that I like to play when I drive around Jersey City,” says director of the Jersey City Mural Arts Program Brooke Hansson, “picking up all the different vistas that you could see our various murals from.”
It’s true that in Jersey City it’s hard to go a block or two without seeing some street art. One of the latest outdoor effort, brought to you by JCMAPS, is especially easy to spot. The Ferris High School mural, which was created by the Jersey City Youth Program, is visible to commuters from Interstate 78. “I took a trip just so I could see it from the highway,” Hansson says. “It’s amaz-
20 • Jersey CITY Magazine ~ FALL | WINTER 2021
ing. Part of the excitement of getting this particular wall is that it was a partnership with the Board of Education. Another thrilling element was that this is the back of a high school. So students are going to see it and know that their peers created that.” This is the 7th year that JCMAPS has held its Jersey City Youth Program. “We hire fine arts high school students who receive intensive outdoor art instruction that culminates in the creation of their own original large-scale mural,” Hansson says, adding that the arts education that students receive includes the economics and administration of art, like pricing and understanding contracts, along with technique. “We’ve grown exponentially. This was our largest group of students to date.”
