'Our Sensory Garden Mural' (detail) by Suneden Specialist School in Adelaide, SA.

How do you create one shared artwork when every person has different abilities, different ways of communicating, and different ways of joining in?

At Suneden Specialist School, 100 students and staff came together over ten sessions to create this beautiful collaborative mural.

All my collaborative art projects follow three stages: Messy Playing, Exploring, and BLING! Each session focused on either cool or warm colours, building layers of colour, texture, and pattern over time.

Creating an inclusive artwork meant creating lots of different ways for students to participate. Some of the strategies we used included:

✨ Magic wands - paintbrushes attached to long sticks, giving students another way to reach and interact with the artwork.

✨ Process art techniques - including stencilling, sponging, stamping, masking, sgraffito, and monoprint transfers, allowing everyone to explore creativity through different textures and techniques.

✨ Mobile murals - two additional canvases that could be taken indoors and moved to students who needed to participate in different ways.

The finished mural is painted around a huge concrete cylinder, creating a peaceful space where children can step inside and experience a sense of quiet and calm.

One of my favourite details is that every child’s first name is hidden in plain sight within the artwork. It has become a meaningful part of the school environment, with students continuing to interact with it every day.

This project was incredibly rewarding because it shows what collaborative art is really about - not just creating something beautiful, but creating connection, belonging, and a sense of pride along the way.

The name Suneden comes from the school’s first location — a little “sunny den” at the back of a hall where its story began. I added the bright yellow suns as a tribute to this history, while also creating cheerful focal points throughout the mural.