Volunteering on a public mural

Two original fictional non-fiction texts for reading practice.

Text A: a mural coordinator’s report

Volunteers often ask whether they must already be good at drawing. Our project includes several jobs that do not require freehand drawing: preparing labelled colour samples, checking the numbered design sections and recording which areas are complete. Those tasks need attention, not an apology for lacking artistic talent.

People like seeing their own patch of colour become part of a larger image. That satisfaction can also create a problem when someone treats a section as personal property and resists a correction. We explain that the finished mural belongs to the shared design, even though many hands have made it.

The best sessions include time to look together before work begins. A colour may seem wrong in one small square until its neighbouring section is added. Some volunteers prefer practical jobs away from the wall, and they deserve the same acknowledgement. The mural is not made only by the people visible in the photograph.

Text B: a volunteer’s account

I joined expecting to paint a small part of the wall. At the first session I spent an hour sorting brushes and checking sample labels. I understood that the work mattered, but it would have helped if the invitation had described those jobs rather than showing only people with paint rollers.

Later I painted a section and became absurdly protective of it. When the coordinator asked for an edge to be changed, I heard criticism of my effort instead of an adjustment to the whole design. Looking from the other side of the street helped me see why it needed doing.

I liked meeting people while we worked, especially when there was time to discuss how separate pieces joined. I did not enjoy a final thank-you that named the painters and forgot the people who had organised materials. A project can say everybody contributes and still make some work feel invisible. I would volunteer again, but I would want the invitation and the acknowledgement to match the shared effort I actually experienced.

Compare what the two writers say about volunteers painting public murals. Make it clear which text you are using.