The walls of the cafeteria got a major upgrade this year. A new mural painted by Liberty art teacher Milli Fitzgerald not only inspires school pride, but also reminds students that artistic beauty comes from expression and embracing the journey, and not perfection.

Fitzgerald found inspiration for the mural, which stylistically depicts the word “Hornets” in gold lettering on a blue backdrop, from the movie “Into the Spider-Verse.” “Within the movie Miles [Morales] creates a pretty neat graffiti design and since then I’ve always been wanting to try it,” she said.

When Fitzgerald shared her idea, Liberty Principal Teresa Smock-Potter immediately loved the concept. “At that moment, it was like an opportunity opened up and I wanted to rise to the challenge,” Fitzgerald recalled.

This summer, Fitzgerald spent many hours (she lost count after 60) bringing the vision to life.

“I’ve never painted a mural before so it was an entirely new experience going into it,” Fitzgerald said. “I honestly don’t think I ever actually finished a painting before now.”

Now that the mural is complete, she hopes that students don’t only see the finished product, but are inspired by her journey.

“Many many mistakes were made, but I think that’s my favorite part about it,” Fitzgerald admitted. “I even ask [my students] if they can find the mistakes in it.”

By openly embracing the imperfections of her own work, she hopes to give students a glimpse into the messy middle of art that isn't shown in the curated highlight reels they see online. She hopes that it reminds them the beauty of art comes from these authentic anomalies, and that it brings to context the core motto in her classroom: “Mistakes are okay, they help us learn!”

“I found that [students] can be very hard on themselves, in art and in life,” Fitzgerald reflected. “I tell them not to even try to make “perfect” art in my class because it takes the fun out of it. This mural became a great example of exactly that.”

Even seven months later, walking past the finished mural is a weird feeling for Fitzgerald. “I used to be very shy about sharing my artwork, and now it’s just there for everyone to see on the biggest surface I’ve ever created on.” 

But when she looks at it now, she is reminded of all of the personal growth and healing that led her to this point. She hopes that others are encouraged by her journey and reminded that self-grace is so important. Mistakes are not failures, but learning opportunities.

“I hope it inspires someone else to rise up to life’s challenges, no matter how intimidating it may seem,” Fitzgerald said. 

At the end of the day, Fitzgerald sees the mural as her way of giving back to the school, and the students, who have given so much to her.

“I know it’s an incredibly cheesy thing for a teacher to say, but it really is true to say my students have taught me so much just watching them learn art,” Fitzgerald said. “I hope maybe they can learn from my mistakes so they can go farther than me…I want them to outdo me in every way. My dream is that one day I will get to read about one of my students in the headlines creating some kind of art, finding themselves in it, and inspiring the world somehow with it.”