An Early Childhood Development (ECD) school in Tuscany Glen near Blue Downs has been upgraded and transformed during lockdown through a collaborative charity art project involving Bright Sparks Creative Play, the Ilukuluku Collective and designer Morag Myerscough.
Disneyland Educare received the makeover, which included extensive structural repairs and a bright, colourful paint job, as part of the Ilukuluku Collective’s legacy project for AfrikaBurn. Initially, they planned to donate richly painted wooden panels repurposed from their AfrikaBurn project to clad the school walls, but when the festival was cancelled due to COVID-19, it was decided to use all their resources to give back even more to the local community and transform the school completely.
Karen Stewart, founder of Bright Sparks Creative Play who provide creative extra murals for toddlers in underprivileged schools, and Shaun Sebastian, Creative Director of the Ilukuluku Collective, worked together to mobilise a team of volunteers including a consulting architect, designers and mural painter Tim Bopper and his team. The painted murals that now cover the school walls were designed by Myerscough, an award-winning UK artist. Bold geometric patterns and bright colours were used to create a space that stimulates learning and also feels safe, nurturing and playful. The entire upgrade was completed in less than 2 weeks while the school was vacant because of lockdown, and on a minimal budget.
‘This project was driven by goodwill and the need to do something meaningful during the COVID-19 lockdown. And we succeeded beyond our wildest dreams. What we are most excited about is the massive impact this will have on the teachers and children when they return to school,’ says Stewart.
‘This is a new beginning for us. From now on we will be a top-notch school!’ said school principal, Priscilla Collison, and school owner Gawa Daniels, after seeing the upgrades to their school.