Zora S. Miller, Grade 3

Inspired by “Geraldine's Reverie”, a mural by Liz Zunon

A mural full of emotion

When I first saw the Geraldine's Reverie mural, the first thing that came to my mind was the emotion. All the colors, and the music streamed out of it. There were shapes all around it, with birds flying around. It shows all the emotion in it. There are waves in the background, which shows the music streaming out. There’s also a lot of energy. There is a piano in the back, and it looks like the person playing it is using a lot of energy. The keys are out of order, and it looks like the person is using so much energy, the keys flew out.

Another thing that the mural makes me think of is how hidden it is. When my mom and I went to try to find the mural, it was very hard to find it. First we drove all around the city (and found a few of the other murals while we were at it), went on the highway by accident, and looked all around for it. After about 20 minutes, we finally found it. We were celebrating, and amazed. When I first saw the mural online, I decided to choose it. But once I went to it, we realized there was so much more to the mural than the online picture showed. It was so much longer than I had expected! The mural was very hidden, and since many of the people in the mural are Black, that makes me think of segregation. (Some of them are painted in the style of Pablo Picasso, and look like they’re many colors, but you can tell they’re Black.) A lot of famous Black singers that grew up in segregation would hide out in the woods, so they could practice their singing/dancing. The mural was very hidden, and many of the people there were Black, which makes me think of that. Another thing that the mural shows is some famous Black singers/dancers/people who played an instrument. I couldn't see it in the online photo, but once I went there, I saw a few famous people. For example, I think I saw Dizzy Gillespie, who had his cheeks puffed out while he was playing the trumpet. After I saw the mural, I went to YouTube to see him play. Another famous person in the mural was Aretha Franklin, who had the words “respect” on her shirt. She had sung “Respect" as one of her songs. I had recently read a book about her! There are curtains on each side, and behind one of the curtains is a young woman who has her hair tied up, and seems to be peeking out of the curtains, looking at the actors onstage.

There is a Black boy that is holding a book. He looks very inspired, and is looking off with a dreamy look in his eyes. He could be young Martin Luther King, or he could just be a random boy. He makes me feel very inspired myself. There is one person playing piano in the picture, and another one playing cello. When I first noticed the cello, I thought it was a violin. But looking at it more closely, it looked more like a cello.

In the middle of the mural, there is a teenager who is dancing. At first I thought she’s a kid, but then thought that she’s a teenager. She is swooping low, and looks like she’s doing some type of dance move, or bow. Her eyes look like they’re half closed, and her mouth curved into a tiny smile that makes me think of the Mona Lisa. The way her face looks makes me think that she is remembering the steps she has to do in her head. She has curtains as her background, as if she is onstage. Another thing I notice are all the background dancers. I think of them as background dancers because they are not the main thing, they’re not big, but they dance. There are many of them throughout the mural, and they seem to be dancing in all sorts of different ways. One group of them all have their arms up in a certain way, and another group looks like they’re playing hide and seek. A thing that impresses me about the mural is how you can see the dancers’ background stories. For example, when you look at one of the background dancers, you can see them dancing, but you can also see how much work was put behind that dance, how hard they practiced to put that dance together, and to all wave their hands at the same time.

Another thing that the mural makes me think about is all the colors. The background is mostly purple, green and blue, but the people and things itself are different. Instead of just being a few colors, there are many diffraction patterns and colors in the people and things. Many of the background dancers are pink, orange, green, yellow, purple, and blue! Many of the people have brightly colored clothes, with yellow hair and pink faces. It makes me feel bright, and inspired to see all those colors. When I read about the essay, I learned that what the mural meant to Liz Zunon, the artist, is what it meant to be an artist, especially the joy and freedom of making art. I kind of understand that, because I’m kind of an artist, and I love the joy of making art, making up my own dances, and writing songs. (I play the violin too, but that doesn't bring me joy.) When I make up my own dances, my body is filled with freedom and joy. I’m really glad I chose this mural. I love all the emotion, energy and all the things you can see in it. I think it’s great that you're adding all these interesting and fun murals to Albany, that make plain, boring walls way better. Sometime I will go and see Geraldine's Reverie again

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