Fife Elementary School is looking brighter and more beautiful today! Thorp, Washington Artist Justin Gibbens visited over the weekend to hang his gorgeous installation “Rise Up!” The artwork was part of a grant from the ArtsWA’s Art in Public Places and was a partnership between the Washington State Arts Commission and Fife Public Schools. Justin describes his creation: “The Rise Up! mural celebrates the inspirational and aspirational aspects of birds and flight by way of falcon imagery and text. Painted in acrylic, these stylized bird panels are woven together with a blue ribbon that declares Fife Elementary school’s RISE mantra (Responsible, Inclusive, Safe Empathetic).”

This impressive work of art has transformed our commons space into a gallery! Thank you to artist Justin Gibbens, his creative partner Renee Adams and Fife Maintenance Lead Doug Kibler for their efforts over the weekend to hang these enormous pieces. And thank you to Mike Sweney of ArtsWA for leading our committee members Ms Norby, Mr Norby, Mr Bayliss, Ms Danielson, Ms Mittelstaedt and Mr Parrish through the selection process.