June 11, 2024 

Media Contacts:  
Ellen Bruex, art faculty, 509-682-6648, ebruex@wvc.edu 
Dr. Jennifer Korfiatis, interim public information officer, 509-682-6650, jkorfiatis@wvc.edu 

Students from the Wenatchee Valley College’s ART 141 Illustration have been busy creating a mural in a downtown Wenatchee parking garage at the corner of Columbia Street and Orondo Avenue. 

The course is taught by Ellen Bruex, a WVC Art instructor, local artist, and muralist. Bruex received permission from building owner Cory Wray to create a mural in the parking garage. “The owner wanted something bright, positive, and uplifting,” Bruex said. “It’s a blank canvas,” Wray told her.   

WVC student Betsy Watters’ design, which combines multi-colored geometric shapes with botanical elements, was selected for the space. Watters said that, at the start of the quarter, when the class was creating mood boards, she found that she was drawn to geometric patterns as well as murals with a variety of leaves and flowers. “I thought the idea of combining them could be a fun juxtaposition,” she said. Watters also won the winning design for a WVC holiday card last winter. 

Fellow student Sarah Sims found a description for Watters’ design—graphic rewilding. The term comes from a company in the United Kingdom owned by artists Lee Baker and Catherine Borowski, who create large-scale artworks that bring nature into urban landscapes. Baker and Borowski explain on their website that images of nature in urban settings have positive effects on the mind. 

“Nature makes me feel better, calm,” Sims said. “Beautifying urban spaces with nature art brings a sense of calm and beauty to a space that’s chaotic” or drab and sterile, she said.  

Five students are working on the mural project: Watters, Sims, Jasmine “Yasmeen” Abou Ammo, Adelyn “Addy” Kershner, and Adalie “Addy” Macon. “Having many hands here has been really rewarding,” Bruex said.  

Watters and Sims both plan to seek careers in art fields—Watters in graphic design, and Sims in art therapy. Abou Ammo is considering a career as an art teacher. 

“The students are getting real world experience doing a project of this scale that contributes to our community and adds to our town,” she continued. “Students have had a lot of pride in it. This is the opportunity to serve the community through art.”  

ART 141 Illustration I and ART 142 Illustration II will be offered throughout the 2024-25 academic year. The next Illustration course with a mural focus will be offered in the spring of 2025. Business owners who are interested in creating a mural space should reach out now, Bruex said. “Now is the time to start planning those projects,” she said.  

Bruex can be reached at ebruex@wvc.edu.  

WVC students’ mural work can also be seen on several buildings throughout the Wenatchee campus, including Knights Hall, Batjer Hall, and Eller-Fox Science Center. 

 

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Wenatchee Valley College enriches North Central Washington by serving educational and cultural needs of communities and residents throughout the service area. The college provides high-quality transfer, liberal arts, professional/technical, basic skills and continuing education for students of diverse ethnic and economic backgrounds. Visit our website, wvc.edu. 

Wenatchee Valley College is committed to a policy of equal opportunity in employment and student enrollment. All programs are free from discrimination and harassment against any person because of race, creed, color, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability, or the use of a service animal by a person with a disability, age, parental status or families with children, marital status, religion, genetic information, honorably discharged veteran or military status or any other prohibited basis per RCW 49.60.030, 040 and other federal and state laws and regulations, or participation in the complaint process. The following persons have been designated to handle inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies and Title IX compliance for both the Wenatchee and Omak campuses: 

To report discrimination or harassment: Title IX Coordinator, Wenatchi Hall 2322M, (509) 682-6445, title9@wvc.edu. 

To request disability accommodations: Director of Student Access, Wenatchi Hall 2133, (509) 682-6854, TTY/TTD: dial 711, sas@wvc.edu.