The four murals being painted in Gabel Hall may be most accurately described as educational art. For senior art major Rebecca Evans, working on the murals redefined art education.

Evans is one of the seven NIU students volunteering this summer to help low-income high school students from Rockford and Aurora paint the murals as part of the federal Upward Bound program.

This summer, 35 high school students are working on the project, which is depicting the history of education in northern Illinois, said Lucy Townsend, NIU history professor and the group’s coordinator.

The project is a partnership between the Blackwell History of Education Museum and NIU, Townsend said.

These students never would have this kind of contact with art, Townsend said, but the project helps them put their hands on art and have an experience that can mark their lives and persuade them to become art majors once in college.

Painting scenes from the history of education increases their knowledge of both history and art, Townsend said.

Also, NIU students have gained experience in mural design and painting, guiding groups of younger students and supervising the painting, Townsend said.

Senior sociology major Lisa Mayse-Lillig said helping the students paint the murals has been a unique experience.

“It is really important to show these kids their creative side and to help them to discover their talents,” she said.

Townsend said the murals are named “Common School Movement,” “Brown v. The Board of Education, Topeka,” “Education of Girls and Women” and “The Scopes ‘Monkey’ Trial.”

Katrina Pitts, a high school graduate from Rockford, said she gained the experience of interacting in a group project with people she had never seen before.

Tuwan Carter, a high school sophomore from Rockford, said the project helped him have a good time and get his mind off of school.

The murals are expected to be completed Wednesday and will be on display to the public.

Upward Bound was created by the federal government to fund services for high school students from low-income families, high school students from families in which neither parent holds a bachelor’s degree and low-income, first-generation military veterans who are preparing to enter postsecondary education, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

The goal of Upward Bound is to increase the rates at which participants enroll in and graduate from institutions of postsecondary education, according to the department.