LCCTC Guidance Introduces the Zen Den!
by Leanna Miller, Commercial Art Class of 2024
When I first heard that we would have a room called the Zen Den in the guidance office, I remember I thought it was really nice to finally have a much-needed space for students to be able to collect themselves when they were struggling.
That’s why I was so excited to hear that Commercial Art students would have the opportunity to design a mural for this room! A vinyl mural would be most fitting for our shop and for this project, so we designed it digitally to be printed.
Mrs. Lynch asked for something simplistic with a sun in it. Students in the Commercial Arts program all submitted our designs; many other students took different approaches to the mural. I decided to incorporate mountains into mine because I felt those had the symbolism of standing strong and tall. They also are very soothing to me and remind me of how beautiful the natural world around us can be.
About a week later, I found out that mine had been chosen! I was thrilled to know that not only would my art be printed on such a large scale, but in some way, it might be able to support kids who are struggling. As someone who can sympathize with some of these struggles, this was really close to my heart.
The next phase in this was actually installing it. Since this mural was expected to cover a whole wall, we had to print it in three different panels of vinyl, like a huge sticker on our large printer. We had to align all the panels correctly and make guides to show where they should overlap. We did this down in the shop before we took the panels up to guidance. When the time came, we would peel the backing off and apply it to the wall.
Once we moved the panels into guidance for installation, we peeled off some of the backing from the top of the first panel and and began installing it. We slowly peeled down the rest of it while pressing the graphic itself down to the wall. The next two panels were the hardest since we had to align them with the first. Luckily, the wall the mural was going on was metal, so we were able to use magnets to hold the panels down before we actually peeled the backing off and stuck them there.
Our final step was using a heat gun to secure the mural in place and to make sure it correctly adhered to the wall. With this, the mural should be in amazing shape for years to come, and many students through the years will get to experience it.
By the end, a small team of Commercial Art students, guided by our teacher, Mr. DeRosa, were able to install this in under a week — quite impressive given the obstacles and scale of the project.
The next time you’re having a hard day or just need a moment to yourself, take a moment to stop in the Zen Den and spend some time with the various elements of the room. Take in the mural — made just to soothe you!
