Josh Morrisey, Marketing Coordinator, Parks & Recreation, No Phone Number Available
Friday, July 25, 2025 at 2:35 p.m.
On Tuesday, June 10, students, faculty, and families from Franklin Elementary gathered at Lincoln Park to celebrate the unveiling of a stunning new mural designed by local artist Corinna Ren and painted with the assistance of 434 Franklin students, their family members, and faculty.
Under Ren’s leadership and guidance, the mural was completed in just over a month. However, the project had been in development for several years.
More than two years ago, Cara Halldin and Holly Thompson-Duffy, parents involved in the Franklin Elementary Alternative Parent Participation Learning Experience (APPLE) program and Franklin Parent Teacher Group, approached the Parks & Recreation department with the idea of painting a colorful mural on the dull, brown, bunker-like concrete picnic shelter in Lincoln Park. They specifically wanted a mural designed by a local artist and created with help from Franklin Elementary students.
From left to right: Holly Thompson-Duffy, Cara Halladin and Artist Corinna Ren
With enthusiastic support from the Park Board and Neighborhood Council, Halldin and Thompson-Duffy began working on the logistics, securing $10,000 in grant funding from the Spokane Arts SAGA program to kick-start the project. Ren was chosen from a dozen artists who submitted proposals to create the mural, inspired by the input provided by Franklin Elementary. The kindergarteners chose the color scheme, while students in grades 1 through 5 contributed their own suggestions for the piece, including depictions of native flora and fauna, as well as human interaction with nature.
With TW Clark and DryBox generously providing an on-site storage unit for mural supplies, The Bright Side assisting with pressure washing and preparing the structure for paint, and Sherwin-Williams on Sullivan donating $5,200 worth of paint for the project, everything was finally in place to begin work on the long-awaited mural in May 2025.
After participating in “Art Reach” lessons from Spokane Art School on the basics of mural creation in the winter, Franklin Elementary students were ready and excited to start painting in May. Over several weeks, each class walked the short to Lincoln Park to contribute to their collective masterpiece, working under the guidance of the muralist, teachers, and volunteer family members.
The finished mural is a vibrant and colorful depiction of various fauna found in the park such as turkeys, deer, frogs, butterflies, bees, and dragonflies, as well as native plants like bitterroot, arrowleaf balsamroot, and elderberries. The exterior of the shelter features a scene of a dog walker encountering a South Hill turkey and a curious child examining a ladybug under a magnifying glass. The interior of the shelter features a pond on the floor with an interactive circular maze surrounded by frogs and lily pads. The back wall displays a starry nighttime mountain scene, complete with a coyote, an owl, and a pair of stargazers under a crescent moon.
The mural project is a shining example of what can be achieved when community partners come together to make Spokane a better place to live.
In her speech during the mural unveiling, Thompson-Duffy remarked, “In many ways, this activity represents what it means to come together as a community to achieve great things! ... I hope you always remember this feeling of contributing to something great and larger than yourself that serves the greater good.”
Photos courtesy of Franklin Elementary School APPLE Program
