Bringing Story to Life: Mural-Making with Word for Word

By Cayman Bentley, PVF’s Social Media Manager

Last year, PVF granted more than 800 teacher resource grants. The reports that come back from Visiting Artist in the Classroom Grants are always some of our favorites due to the many artists and creators that are able to come into schools and help inspire kids with out-of-the-box ideas and projects. Whether the grant is used to hire a musician to help kids relate music to everyday learning, or hiring a textile artist to help students find different outlets of expression, or even bringing in a poet that will help students hone their literary and public speaking skills, the Visiting Artist grant is helping teachers bring life into their classrooms.

There’s something special about watching a story leap off the page and into students’ hands—especially when that story reflects their own lives. At Life Academy in Oakland’s Fruitvale neighborhood, sixth graders recently got the chance to do just that, thanks to a Visiting Artist Grant from Philanthropic Ventures Foundation.

With guidance from visual artists Ariel Allen and Jessica Dalva of Word for Word/Youth Arts, students turned scenes from The Only Road—a novel about two Guatemalan cousins making the difficult journey to the U.S.—into vibrant murals and sketchbook illustrations. Over seven days, the classroom became a studio, the students became artists, and the story became personal.

Nearly all of these students come from immigrant families, many from Mexico and Central America. This book isn’t just a class assignment—it’s a mirror. And through this art residency, they got to respond with their own creative voice.

The process was layered and collaborative. Some students painted roads stretching across desert landscapes. Others filled their murals with symbols of strength, home, and hope. Conversations about color blended into conversations about family, safety, and survival. At one point, a student quietly said, “This story feels like mine.” And you could feel how true that was.

The $500 Visiting Artist in the Classroom Grant covered artist fees and full art kits for all 62 sixth graders—sketchbooks, pencils, colored pencils, and other supplies they took home to keep. That mattered. Having their own tools meant this project didn’t end in the classroom.

Watching these murals come to life—on the floor, with music playing and students bouncing ideas back and forth—was pure joy. They weren’t just illustrating a novel; they were building a set for their upcoming community performance in May. Their work will live on as a backdrop to their voices.

What stuck with me most wasn’t just the talent—it was the pride. One student held up her drawing and said, “I didn’t know I could do something like this.” That’s the power of arts education. It reminds students what they’re capable of and gives them space to see themselves—clearly, boldly, and in full color.