“Knowledge Creates Transformation”

Denver Center for International Studies - 2022

Denver Center for International Studies Middle School is a dual-language immersion school in Denver’s Baker neighborhood that values diversity, multiculturalism, multilingualism, mindfulness, international studies, travel, and service learning. Those values inspired a mural centered on the idea that knowledge, culture, and personal stories shape who we become.

Colorful books in the foreground feature patterns inspired by textiles from students’ own cultural heritage. Students helped develop and paint those patterns, making their identities part of the artwork itself. From the books, pages transform into paper airplanes, butterflies, birds, and ultimately the school’s phoenix mascot - a visual metaphor for learning, growth, and transformation.

Student hands were also incorporated into the design to symbolize young people actively shaping their own stories and the world around them. In the background, forms that resemble both Rocky Mountain peaks and ocean waves reference Denver, travel, challenge, and the journey into the unknown.

The mural was designed not only for the students, but with them - giving them a meaningful role in both the concept and the painting process.

The TroFlora muralist team: Katy Casper, Grow Love, & Talia Swartz Parsell