Arthur Haywood has been painting murals with students at Lycée Paul Lapie. He received a Harriet Hale Woolley Scholarship from Fondation des États-Unis, in Paris, to create these paintings since October 2020. The paintings show the students looking at the scenes of the fantastic stories.
This project is a way to encourage students to read. The paintings show how interesting the stories in books are. They are painted in a realistic style at close to life size to establish a belief in the world of stories.
The paintings are based on the students’ favorite books, including The Chronicles of Narnia, Les Chevaliers d’Émeraude and Star Wars. Students also posed for the paintings and helped paint sections on the mural’s borders. Each painting celebrates learning as a unifying link between students of multicultural backgrounds in France. This appreciation of diversity is important as immigration to France continues to increase. Also the promotion of reading is important as reading remains an essential resource in education. By showing the world of stories, the paintings celebrate the appeal of books.
Practical Information
COVID: Mask required, please use the hand sanitizer made available at the entrance. Access to the gallery will be limited to ten people. Please respect the current distancing guidelines.
Opening
Date: June 2nd Time: 5pm, 5:30pm, 6pm, 6:30pm, 7pm, 7:30pm as part of Art-Hop-Polis | Facebook Event
Entry: Visitors should arrive by the garden through the Grand Salon [access map].
Reservation required:
Guided Visits
With the artist.
Dates: see below, other dates will be added during the month
Reservation required:
About the artist
Arthur Haywood’s work celebrates the wonder of stories. His paintings are seen on murals for the Philadelphia Mural Arts Program, Sprocket Mural Festival, his book “The Great Library” and Space and Time Magazine. He exhibits his paintings in New York and Pennsylvania and completes commissions.
He is focused on captivating Science Fiction and Fantasy stories. Creating murals and illustrations to inspire others and engage youth in reading is his passion. He is focused on making murals for libraries and schools in addition to book covers.
He earned a B.F.A in Illustration from The Maryland Institute College of Art, before furthering his study of classical drawing and painting at Cambridge Street Studios in Philadelphia and Grand Central Atelier in New York. He wrote and illustrated a book about scholars from the ancient library of Alexandria.
He is a recipient of the 2020-2021 Harriet Hale Woolley Scholarship at the Fondation des États-Unis in Paris. From Fall 2020 through Spring 2021 he developed murals to inspire a love of learning and cultural appreciation. He worked with students at Lycée Paul Lapie to create murals depicting diverse people reading and the stories that have engaged them.