E.C. REEMS ACADEMY

Oakland, CA

Big Picture

The E.C. Reems Academy is a K-8 extended elementary charter school located in one of California’s most at-risk and disadvantaged communities—East Oakland. One of their guiding principles is: “Encouraging creativity to bring forth new ideas and achieve higher levels of living.” And yet, visually, the school did not live up to this guiding principle and had many layers of peeling paint on a dull exterior.

Lisa Blair, its dynamic and founding principal, explained, "Our community is very drab. The colors are mostly tans and browns—like prison colors. This is the world our children live in: one with no vibrancy, no direction, no enthusiasm, and very little hope. If you’re sent from a home in disrepair to a school in the same condition, the message is ‘You are not worth anything. There is no place for you in this society and no one cares.’ But if the opposite occurs, if our kids were to walk into a school that is inviting and bright, the message becomes, ‘Come in, dream big. It’s your world, not ours!'

“Color is a powerful language, a simple change agent that can often express what words cannot. When we enter a space, approach a building, or are surrounded with beautiful color, it can satiate our desires, inspire us to dream, and empower us to create the world as we wish to see it.”

—LauraGuido-Clark,Founder
Project Color Corps

A Conversation About Color

Through an interactive color seminar led by Project Color Corps founder Laura Guido-Clark, the students learned about the transformational power of color. By sharing how their favorite colors made them feel, the students gained an understanding of how color can influence not only their environment but how they felt about themselves.

The Transformation

Tolleson Design crafted a mural highlighting and reflecting the student’s daily mission statement. The students selected MAGICAL ENERGY because reflected how they wanted to feel when they came to school.

“Is there a color that can stop violence?”

—Student
E.C. Reems Academy