Stratford All Wheels Park has a new mural to welcome skaters, and the outdoor skating community have a local high school student to thank for it.
Sebastien Chung is a senior at Stratford District Secondary School. Prior to 2021, Chung had never taken an art class, other than sketching in his off time here and there. After realizing he wanted to go into design post-graduation, he enrolled in art classes and quickly took to it.
His art teacher, Susan Zorgdrager, taught Chung in Grade 11 and currently at an open studio class. When volunteers at Stratford All Wheels Park asked if a student could paint a mural at the entrance, she knew Chung was the one.
“He was excited to do it,” Zorgdrager told StratfordToday. “He was instantly engaged and knew he could do something … He valued the park and knew what image would look good.”
Chung told StratfordToday that he had full creative control over the design, the only stipulation being that the title of the park be fully visible in the design.
Chung went to the park, measured the area, did drawings in his class, and calculated the materials needed. He chose to do the design with the three wheels to emphasize the “All Wheels” nature of the park and used a graffiti-esque font to catch the eye to ensure it was readable from far away.
Chung is proud of the work, especially because this was his first time working with spray paint.
Zorgdrager pointed out that the design is very energetic, even with just a few colours. She originally thought that they needed to prime the ramp before Chung painted the mural, though he insisted on leaving the concrete as is, to create an eye-catching effect.
Afterwards, she realized what a great idea that was. It allows the concrete itself to become part of the design.
Zorgdrager says that to her knowledge, this is the first time that a student has done a project at this scale and hopes that in the future more students will undertake similar community projects, though she notes that logistics may get in the way.
Chung wants to go into industrial design after secondary school, believing that it would be a good use of his skills. For now, he’s content with the mural.
“I am really happy to have had this opportunity to make my mark on a place that I go to all the time.”
