INLAND EMPIRE FUTURE MURALISTS

 WHAT IS IEFM?

Inland Empire Future Muralists (IEFM) is a youth arts initiative by Mass Murals that provides young artists with hands-on experience in mural creation, public art, creative collaboration, and community engagement.

Through guided participation in real-world mural projects, emerging artists learn alongside working professionals while contributing directly to public artworks in their own communities.

HOW THE PROGRAM WORKS

IEFM transforms active mural projects into real-world learning environments. Participants work alongside professional muralists and become part of the process of creating public art—from early planning and preparation through painting and completion.

Each program is adapted to the project, giving participants age- and experience-appropriate opportunities to contribute while learning how professional mural projects are planned, coordinated, and executed.

WHAT PARTICIPANTS LEARN

Participants gain practical experience in both the creative and professional sides of large-scale public art. Depending on the project, this may include mural planning, design transfer, surface preparation, brush and roller techniques, spray-paint applications, color mixing, equipment and material handling, and safe practices on an active mural site.

Along the way, participants also develop skills that extend beyond painting—including teamwork, communication, creative problem-solving, responsibility, and seeing a collaborative project through from concept to completion.

Experience IEFM

See young artists working alongside professional muralists and gaining hands-on experience through the creation of large-scale public artwork.

IEFM IN ACTION

IEFM has brought hands-on mural education and mentorship directly into Inland Empire schools. The following projects show how the program adapts to different communities, themes, and learning opportunities.

GRAND TERRACE HIGH SCHOOL

At Grand Terrace High School, IEFM participants worked alongside professional muralists during the creation of “It’s All In Our Hands,” a large-scale campus mural centered on environmental awareness, community, and our shared responsibility for the future.

Participants contributed to the mural process through hands-on painting and spray-paint applications, gaining direct experience with the techniques, materials, teamwork, and problem-solving involved in producing public art.

From early learning and ideation through hands-on participation and the completed artwork, the project gave students an opportunity to experience how individual ideas, technical skills, and collaboration come together in the creation of public art.

SAN BERNARDINO HIGH SCHOOL

At San Bernardino High School, IEFM participants worked alongside professional muralists to help bring a large-scale campus mural from planning and preparation through hands-on execution.

Participants gained experience with several stages of the mural process, including project discussion, measuring and laying out the wall, preparing for paint application, working with mural materials, and contributing directly to the artwork. Through guided, on-site participation, students developed practical skills while learning how planning, teamwork, communication, and creative problem-solving come together on a professional mural project.

The completed mural transformed a school hallway into a vibrant work of public art centered on the message “My Vote Matters,” giving participating students the opportunity to contribute to a permanent artwork within their own school community.

A.B. MILLER HIGH SCHOOL

At A.B. Miller High School in Fontana, IEFM participants took part in the creation of “Welcome to the Rebelution,” a large-scale campus mural designed around career exploration, creative possibility, and the school’s Rebels identity.

The mural responds directly to Fontana’s landscape as a major warehouse and logistics center. Imagery of warehouse boxes, trains, and diesel trucks forms the lower portion of the composition, representing industries that are a familiar presence throughout the surrounding community. Rising above that landscape are images representing a broader range of possibilities—including the arts, skilled trades, civic leadership, activism, and other professional paths.

Students explored these ideas through discussion and collaborative planning before participating directly in the mural’s production. The finished artwork incorporates figures and professions ranging from visual artists, musicians, photographers, welders, steelworkers, and a young judge to cultural figures including Frida Kahlo, Dolores Huerta, and Prince. References to steelworking also connect the mural to Fontana’s industrial history and the legacy of Kaiser Steel.

Through hands-on participation, students gained practical experience with mural production while contributing to an artwork carrying a larger message: the industries students see around them do not define the limits of what they can become.

WHY PARTNER WITH IEFM?

IEFM gives schools, cities, and community organizations a way to connect professional public art with meaningful opportunities for young and emerging artists.

Rather than simply observing a mural being created, participants can become part of the process—learning from working artists, contributing to a real project, and seeing their efforts become part of a permanent artwork within their community.

IEFM projects can support arts education, mentorship, career exploration, creative skill development, teamwork, community engagement, and a greater sense of ownership in public spaces.

For project partners, the result is more than a completed mural. It is an opportunity to create public art with educational and community impact built into the process.

A PROGRAM BUILT AROUND THE PROJECT

IEFM is not a one-size-fits-all program. Each collaboration can be shaped around the mural, participant experience level, educational goals, project schedule, site conditions, and the needs of the partnering organization.

Participation can range from a focused workshop or painting experience to deeper involvement across multiple stages of a mural project.

BRING IEFM TO YOUR COMMUNITY

Inland Empire Future Muralists is available for collaboration with schools, school districts, cities, nonprofit organizations, youth programs, community organizations, developers, and public-art partners interested in incorporating meaningful youth participation into mural and placemaking projects.

Programs can be developed around an existing mural commission or incorporated into a larger public-art initiative, with the level of participation tailored to the project.

INTERESTED IN WORKING WITH IEFM?

Let’s explore how mural-making, mentorship, and hands-on creative experience can become part of your next project.