Stay Studio

Over the past few weeks, students in our Tuesday Visual Art Studio class (ages 9–12) worked together on a collaborative mural project led by teaching artist Mike. Each student was assigned a section of the design to trace, paint, and make their own, learning about composition, color, and creating something bigger together.

Then, everything aligned in a really special way.

Just across the street from Stay Studio, artist COCO NELLA was beginning installation of a new public mural commissioned by Stay Arts in partnership with ASÍ REI and Shake Shack as part of the City of Downey’s Art in Public Places ordinance. The timing worked out perfectly for our students to visit the mural site during class, meet Coco, learn about her work and creative process, and even help paint a section of the mural themselves.

After painting with Coco, the class returned to the studio where they got to see their own collaborative mural fully assembled for the first time. It became this beautiful full-circle moment — students learning inside the studio, connecting directly with a working artist in the community, and experiencing how art can bring people together across generations and public spaces.

A moment that perfectly reflected what Stay is all about. 🤎