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The artwork of several Asbury Park middle and high school students is soon to be on display within several downtown businesses.

Numerous paintings depict Santa’s elves, candy canes, tree ornaments and other elements of the holiday season crafted by Asbury Park High School students enrolled in the visual art class, and students from the Asbury Park Middle School’s after school art club, according to a news release from the district.

According to art teachers Jean Johnson and Jan McLaren, the students enjoyed researching images and composing paintings of their concepts in an effort to display what the holiday season means to them, the release stated.

“The project fits well into the art curriculum since students learn how to compose a painting, paint, mix color and apply a variety of mixed media to apply to the murals,” Johnson said in the release.

The effort comes as a joint venture between the Asbury Park School District, the Asbury Park Education Association and the Asbury Park Chamber of Commerce.

The murals will be on display throughout the holiday season.

This is the second time Asbury Park students have participated in a community-wide mural painting program. Two years ago, they painted murals to hang in business windows for the Halloween season, the release stated.

The mission of the Asbury Park Public Schools is to provide comprehensive, innovative and technologically progressive educational programs that are aligned to the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standard (NJCCCS) to all students so that they can develop the full range of their talents and maximize their learning potential.

[Photo at top: Asbury Park High School student Rosa Vina works on her mural.]

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