With a burst of color and creativity, Grant Center for the Expressive Arts recently unveiled a vibrant new mural on their playground. The mural, completed this fall, is the brainchild of Cathy Chung, a Grant parent with a passion for expressive arts and a deep connection to the school. Cathy led the project alongside Grant teacher, Erin Sand, and community volunteer and artist Chara Askew. Together, they brought together dozens of students, parents, and community members to complete the piece.

“This has been the coolest experience,” said Sand. “We had so many people who just wanted to be a part of something.”

Askew, was visiting the playground with her toddler when she saw a volunteer sheet. “I signed up and they couldn’t get rid of me,” laughed Askew. She spent countless hours volunteering to bring the mural to life.

Last week, the school hosted a special ceremony to celebrate the mural’s completion. Families, staff, and students gathered to admire the final piece and reflect on the hard work and creativity that went into it.

“I like the colors and how it’s kind of a rainbow,” said third grade student Lydia McGovern.

The mural was inspired by the Lunar New Year and showcases elements of Eastern Asian astrology, local Tacoma traditions like Monkeyshines, and the symbolism of the color wheel. Historically, Eastern Asian astrology uses the twelve zodiac animals and five elements—water, fire, earth, wood, and metal—to track the passage of time in a repeating 60-year cycle. For example, 2024 is the Year of the Wood Dragon. A child born this year will see another Wood Dragon year in 2084, when they turn 60.

The Grant mural uses the color wheel as a central theme to represent the ever-revolving zodiac cycles. Each of the twelve zodiac animals is illustrated as orbs and complemented with opposing colors to showcase the harmonious interplay of hues. The five elements are depicted in a swirling gradient wheel, converging at a focal point composed of the three primary colors—red, yellow, and blue. These primary colors serve as the foundation for all others in the wheel, symbolizing the interconnectedness of different aspects of life.

The mural also honors Tacoma’s unique Monkeyshines tradition. Since 2004, the mysterious Mr. and Mrs. Monkey have hidden glass orbs around the city each Lunar New Year, sparking a citywide treasure hunt. Over the years, this event has grown, with Grant students actively participating by creating and hiding their own monkeyshines.

This is the third mural on Grant’s playground. There is a student mural and across from the new mural is a design completed in 2023 by Native American artists Mateo Smith, and Angelina Nicole Nockai-Miller, a Grant parent was completed. That mural depicts the salmon life cycle and like the new mural, Grant students participated in the painting.

The success of the mural projects has Principal Dr. Constance Daw looking ahead at another mural project.

“These murals not only bring beauty to our playground, but to see our Grant community come together to create them is beautiful,” said Daw. “We’ve got one more big blank wall on the playground, it needs a mural.”

Watch timelapse of project: