Rauch Sisters Craft Mural for SAS
“We hope our mural is a splash of color and excitement...and that people find the cafeteria more welcoming. We hope to open the door for more art projects like this on campus,” says Allison and Samantha Rauch ‘20, who collaborated on a large mural project this year that is currently installed in the Upper School’s cafeteria. “We think it is very important that students have opportunities to work on projects [like this] that interest them and play to their unique strengths. It gives them the opportunity to learn outside of the classroom.”
The mural project began as a Biology project focused on sustainability, “Through our auditing of the campus and surveys with students and faculty, we learned that aesthetically-pleasing public spaces lead to an improved quality of life for the people that use them.”
Allison and Samantha decided on, “A sort of ‘highlights reel’ of Austin and Texas as a whole. We wanted the design to embody Saint Andrew’s without plastering it with logos, so we chose to paint our mural in a bluescale, both in honor of our school colors and to conserve time and costs. We had originally envisioned using acrylic paints, but after further investigation we decided to use regular wall paint, due to the greater availability.”
Allison and Samantha spent two months researching, conceptualizing, and planning the mural. After receiving approval, the painting process took an additional two weeks: “We painted during our Biology periods, free periods, after school, and a few weekend afternoons.”
Throughout the process, Allison and Samantha relied on support from SAS faculty/staff and family: “Ms. Tucker, our Biology teacher, was obviously our inspiration for this project. She encouraged us throughout the entire process and cheered us on. Ms. Reed, one of the Upper School art teachers, gave us advice about materials to use. Many faculty members, particularly the science teachers (Mr. Latreille, Mr. Wright, Ms. Cox, and Ms. Albach) and the facilities staff members stopped by during the painting process. Our parents also provided us with food, transportation, and paint help.”
Allison and Samantha relied on each other’s unique strengths to tackle the project: “Samantha is very artistic and led the creative design process. She made the concept drawing that we used for our pitch, chose the paints and materials, and directed the actual painting. Allison worked with the planning and PR aspects of the project. She oversaw the grant writing as well as budgeting, purchasing materials, and emailing students and faculty. However, there was overlap in both of these areas.”
Like most projects, not everything went according to plan, but Allison and Samantha’s bond as sisters helped them through it, “Our original grant to EcoRise was rejected. We had planned to utilize volunteers in the painting process, but after the unforeseen length of the approval process, we did most of it ourselves. After the school year ended, we had to be available to consult with the maintenance staff for installation. We’ve been asked if working as sisters is difficult, but we believe it is actually easier. We know each other well, and we live right down the hall from each other.” The final product was completed and installed in August.
The artistic endeavors of Allison and Samantha Rauch don’t end here: be on the lookout for Samantha’s projects in Studio Art, and Allison’s work on the stage this October in the musical “Catch Me If You Can”!
