What can students create when they paint a mural together?
I’ve been thrilled to bring my Pattern Play Collaborative Art framework into schools across Adelaide, working with students to create small-scale murals together. Designed to be accessible for students to paint themselves, these murals are kept within reach so everyone can participate without steps or ladders.
These murals have given me the opportunity to see Pattern Play work in all sorts of school settings from primary and secondary schools to specialist schools, with each group bringing its own ideas, energy and personality to the artwork.
Every mural is created collaboratively, with students painting together throughout the process. They build layers, explore patterns and contribute their own ideas as the artwork grows into something much bigger than any one person could create alone.
Here are all of the collaborative school murals I’ve created so far, from high school and primary school projects to murals created with students in specialist schools.
Each one is different, but they all share the same goal: creating an artwork that belongs to the group who made it.
Find Your Confidence: High School Collaborative Mural
The Find Your Confidence mural at Aberfoyle Park High School was created by a group of Year 10 and 11 girls as part of a collaborative art project designed to build confidence through public art.
We began with Messy Playing, using large brushes and sponges to prime the wall and get everyone comfortable working on such a large surface. The students then began adding vibrant circles and patterns in warm colours, gradually building the mural together.
As the artwork developed, the students layered accessible patterns across the wall, adding their own creative choices while contributing to the shared design. The final Bling! stage brought even more personality to the mural, with paint pens, glitter and even nail polish adding small details and highlights.
The finished mural became a colourful focal point within the school. It gives the students a lasting reminder of what they created together and the confidence they developed along the way. It also shows the wider school community what young people can achieve when they are given the opportunity to create something ambitious together.
Sensory Garden Mural: Specialist School Collaborative Mural
The Sensory Garden Mural at Suneden Specialist School was a whole-school collaborative mural project involving 68 students aged 5–21 across nine classes. With school staff and me also contributing to the painting, a total of exactly 100 people helped create the mural. The large pipe structure in the school’s Sensory Garden provided an unusual canvas for the school community to transform together.
Each class worked on the mural across two sessions, with school staff supporting students as they contributed to the evolving artwork. A wide range of tools made it possible for students to explore different ways of painting and making marks, including rollers, sponges, stamps, brushes, sgraffito sticks, stencils, templates and long-handled brushes.
The mural developed through layers of colour, texture and pattern, with alternating cool and warm colour palettes creating movement across the large structure. Every participant contributed in their own way, with the artwork growing as each class added its own marks and ideas.
The finished mural brings together contributions from students and staff across the whole school community. Each student’s name is included within the design, creating an opportunity for students to discover their names and recognise their own place within the artwork. The completed mural is now a permanent visual feature of the Sensory Garden and a colourful record of the school community creating together.
Movement is Life: Primary School Gymnastics Mural
The Movement is Life: Move to Live! mural was created at Ascot Park Primary School in 2021 with 32 students involved in the school’s specialist gymnastics program, along with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and other invited students. The mural was created on the wall outside the Gymnastics Hall, giving the students a large public space to transform together.
The mural features five figures in stylised gymnastics poses, reflecting the theme of movement and the students’ connection with gymnastics. The colour scheme was inspired by Australian sunsets and the Dreamtime Serpent mural that had previously been created at the school.
Across multiple sessions, four groups of students contributed to every stage of the mural, from priming through to the final decoration. They worked around each other and across the whole surface, gradually building the artwork through layers of colour, shapes, patterns and detail. Techniques included large brushes, rollers, sponging, stencils, templates, masking, fine line brushwork and patterning with paint pens.
The mural also incorporated Warra Kaurna, Kaurna language words from the local Kaurna community, adding an element of cultural education to the artwork. Every child’s first name was hidden within the mural for students to discover.
At the end of each session, the students stepped back to look at what they had created and celebrated their efforts together. The finished Movement is Life mural became a colourful feature outside the Gymnastics Hall and a lasting record of the students who created it.
Find Your Courage: High School Collaborative Mural
The Find Your Courage mural at Aberfoyle Park High School was created with 18 Year 10 and 11 girls as part of a collaborative art project focused on building confidence and courage through public art.
The mural began with Messy Playing, as the students used large brushes and rollers to prime the wall and explore working on a large scale. They then began painting circles and blending colours before adding spirals and accessible patterns across the growing artwork.
Layer by layer, the students developed the mural together, overlapping patterns and refining details as they worked. The final Bling! stage gave everyone an opportunity to add intricate details with paint pens. Each student’s first name was also hidden somewhere within the finished mural, creating a personal connection that the students could discover and share.
The completed mural became a colourful feature beside the school canteen, where students continue to see it as they move through their school day. The project also formed part of a broader community-based program through which the girls earned 10 SACE points towards their High School Diploma.
Find Your Courage is a wonderful example of how a collaborative school mural can give students a chance to create something ambitious together, develop confidence through the process, and leave something meaningful behind for their school community.
See More: How to Make a Collective Artwork: A Step-by-Step Guide Using the ‘Find Your Courage’ Mural
Kicking Wall for Soccer: Primary School Collaborative Mural
The Soccer Kicking Wall mural at Ascot Park Primary School was created by 26 primary-aged children from the school’s Specialist Soccer Team. The project transformed a plain practice wall into a colourful celebration of their shared passion for soccer, teamwork and creativity.
The mural was created using an early form of my Pattern Play Pages, guiding the students through layers of simple, accessible patterns. We began with sponging and some simple stencilling to establish the first layers of colour.
The students then built up the mural with circles, decorating them with patterns in warm, energetic colours. They worked from large brushes to medium and then smaller brushes, gradually adding more detail as the artwork developed.
Because everyone contributed across the mural, the children could see their own marks alongside the patterns and colours created by their teammates. The artwork grew through this shared process, with each layer adding more energy and personality to the practice wall.
The finished mural is now part of the school’s everyday environment, creating a bright and lasting reminder of the team’s creativity, cooperation and pride in working together.
See More: Inspiring Group Mural Projects: Collaborative Art That Brings People Together
Carer Support Garden Mural: Community Collaborative Mural
The Carer Support Garden Mural was a community collaborative mural created with eight participants at The Carer Support Centre in Glandore, South Australia. Together, we transformed a 2m high by 6m wide section of boundary wall into a vibrant garden-inspired artwork over two sessions.
The mural followed the Pattern Play Collaborative Art process, beginning with an underpainting and Messy Playing, where participants added circles, spirals and concentric rings in a range of colours. During Exploring, layers of patterns were added using printed circle painting examples, handmade and purchased stencils, and stamps made with everyday materials such as corks and bubble wrap. Participants responded to one another’s marks across the wall, allowing the artwork to develop through spontaneous, freeform creativity. The final Bling! stage brought the mural together with black and gold accents flowing across the surface.
The finished mural transformed a large blank boundary wall into a colourful shared artwork, giving the carer community a lasting creative space that reflects the contributions of everyone involved.
Voice of Kids: Primary School Collaborative Mural
The Voice of Kids Tennis mural was a primary school collaborative art project in Adelaide, South Australia, created using the Pattern Play Collaborative Art method. The project gave students the opportunity to contribute to a shared artwork in ways that suited their individual abilities and creative confidence.
Simple, accessible patterns provided an easy starting point for everyone. Students worked at different levels of ability, adding bold shapes, small details and personal flourishes as the mural developed. Layer by layer, their contributions came together to create a cohesive and colourful artwork.
The student-led approach gave each child a sense of participation and ownership while keeping the creative process structured and accessible. Every contribution became part of the larger painting, creating a mural that reflects the shared experience of the students who made it.
Voice of Kids is a lovely example of how a collaborative school mural in Adelaide can give students space to express themselves while creating something meaningful together.
Together We Thrive: Specialist School Collaborative Mural
The Together We Thrive mural at Aspect Treetop School was a whole-school collaborative art project created with children and staff to decorate the school grounds. The finished artwork consists of four brightly coloured panels, creating a 9.6m-long mural with a total surface area of 5.7m².
Every class in the school contributed across seven sessions, with 106 people taking part in the painting. During the Messy Playing sessions, students explored process art and mark-making using sponges, rollers, house brushes and stencils, covering the panels with layers of experimental marks and colour.
The Exploring sessions introduced medium and small brushes alongside templates, masks, stencils, extra-long brushes and dotters. Students could try different tools and techniques while building on the layers already created by other groups. During Bling!, paint pens added decorative details and another layer of shared creativity, with pops of green throughout the mural representing the treetops surrounding the school. I added the student’s first names to the artwork for later discovery.
The finished panels combine oranges and blues with bright touches of green and sit along the top of a school fence, creating a colourful feature for the whole school community to enjoy. Every class contributed to the evolving artwork, making Together We Thrive a wonderful example of an inclusive collaborative mural created by an entire school community.
Final Thoughts
Every one of these Adelaide murals is different because every group of students brings its own ideas, energy and personality to the artwork. Across primary schools, high schools and specialist schools, I’ve seen students discover that they can contribute to something much bigger than themselves. Pattern Play Collaborative Art gives them a clear, accessible structure to work within while leaving plenty of room for creativity, experimentation and individual expression.
For me, that is the real joy of creating collaborative murals with schools. The finished artwork is wonderful to look at, but the experience of creating it together is what makes each mural special. Students see their own contributions become part of something shared, and the school is left with a colourful, meaningful artwork that tells the story of the people who created it.
Together, these Adelaide mural projects have involved 268 people, with students, staff and community participants contributing their own marks, ideas and energy to shared artworks.
Enquire About a Collaborative School Mural
If you’d like to explore a collaborative mural for your school, I’d love to hear from you.
We can chat about your space, your students and what would work best for your school community.
If you’re ready to explore a mural for your school:
I keep bookings limited each term so I can give each project the time, preparation and support it deserves.
For more detailed information about school mural projects, including different school settings, project investment and frequently asked questions, visit:
Collaborative School Murals: Engaging Students in Art Projects
Looking for a DIY Option?
If you’re outside Adelaide, or you’d like to run your own collaborative art project, you can use my Pattern Play resources and free guide to get started.
Discover more collaborative mural project ideas for schools, community groups, and inclusive settings.
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