“Nicole partnered with Alexandria High School and brought everyone together to build this amazing mural for us all here at Bradlee.”

— Beeliner Diner owner Markos Panas

Students in the Alexandria City High School arts program teamed up with professional artists Nicole Bourgea and Roberto “Sef” Seminario to create a mural that was unveiled May 30 at Bradlee Shopping Center.

The mural, titled Peace and Childhood Innocence, features three children surrounded by flowers and prominent symbols of peace. It was commissioned by First Washington Realty, the property manager of Bradlee Center.

“This project was commissioned by the shopping center in hoping for a beautification project,” said Bourgea, who hails from DC. “It was mentioned that students from the school do use the shopping center and that there has been a little bit of a tense relationship historically between the students and the shopping center. So I decided the best source for information on what would be an appropriate project were the students so I went to speak with them myself.”

Bourgea visited the art classrooms at ACHS seeking input on what they wanted to see in the mural.

“I asked them what they would like to see and they expressed a desire for the larger community to see that they are just children and that they desire peace and a space that is community oriented and where they would feel safe and welcome,” Bourgea said.

Bourgea worked with ACHS to create the design for the mural with students working after school on the project. It is located on a wall in the shopping center, which is located between the ACHS King Street and Minnie Howard campuses.

Markos Panas, one of the owners of the Beeliner Diner, was on hand to present the artist with a custom celebratory cake.

“Nicole is an incredible muralist,” Panas said. “She partnered with Alexandria High School and brought everyone together to build this amazing mural for us all here at Bradlee. We’re so happy to support this project and celebrate today.”