WACO, TX — #WACOSAFE is a project by Creative Waco is hoping to encourage our younger generation to wear a mask.
15 murals in total will be painted around the city of Waco highlighting the importance of wearing a mask.
Three murals are outside the Waco ISD admin building, one saying to "speak with your eyes."
Masks cover half our face and it's hard to show a facial expression but using your eyes more can help when you're simply smiling at someone.
Fate King has painted an octopus with a mask, titled "Muti-tasking, wear a mask."
There are so many things we want to do in this world but of course, it's become a challenge, and if we want to get back to those days, wear a mask.
"It's a lot of fun I mean I don't get to work with canvases this big unless I drop a hundred or more bucks so free canvas and I get to make awesome art on it," King said.
Creative Waco Executive Director, Fiona Bond is hoping to not only inspire the painters of Waco but others walking by and admiring the murals.
"Even though they're not high risk of getting dangerously ill with COVID, statistically they're the group who is spreading it the most to people who are more vulnerable," Bond said.
Waco ISD art teacher Hope Geherety is happy to see students strive even after graduation.
Especially knowing these murals are on the side of the admin building.
"I'm really proud to work for the leaders that are feeding into our fine arts.
So much to the point that they're letting us do it on the admin building so I don't have to go to work wondering if I'm supported by my department," Geherety said.
A pandemic has brought many setbacks, for Julius Merriweather that's not being able to go out and paint.
He's been stuck at home and graduated from University High in 2019.
Merriweather is thrilled to be back outside doing what he loves most."Just to get people to stop by and be like hey maybe I can create something like that one day myself and influence others in a positive way," Merriweather said.
His mural is focused around a ninja, they're always wearing masks and look cool doing so.
Merriweather hopes by younger kids seeing the ninja will make them want to mask up as well.
