Klein High Paint Mural for Local Coffee Shop

Klein High art student Rori Cole and the school’s National Art Honor Society members are leaving their mark on a local coffee shop in the Klein Community.

"The Art Honor Society at our school is fairly small, but it is an honors society where we get to organize and do things for your community through art," Klein High freshman Crowley Olson said. "A lot of it is community service, but we get to add a creative spin to it."

PJ’s Coffee owner, Karen Knight, brought the New Orleans-style coffee shop to the Klein area six months ago and is excited to be welcomed in with a display from students in the community.

Klein High sophomore Rori Cole designed a mural that captures the essence of what PJ"s Coffee embodies to her, which will be displayed at the coffee shop for years to come. This is the first time students have done a project like this in the school's history. 

"I grew up going to PJ's Coffee when I would visit my family in New Orleans, so the design of the mural is as if the PJ's Coffee cup is bringing New Orleans to the people of Houston," Rori said. “I’ve been doing art since I was in the second grade. It's very subjective, and it means something different to everybody. I think it’s very important that when you're sharing your art with people, they can truly feel their own emotions while also feeling the artist's emotions."

The Art I and Painting teacher Karen Caldwell introduced the idea for a mural. She has done a mural project with students in the past in former districts, and she wanted to bring the concept to her students at Klein High. She reached out to local businesses to garner interest, and PJ's Coffee owners jumped at the opportunity to feature art from a student.

"The young lady who won is a beautiful artist and very talented, so I was extremely happy that her design was chosen," Ms. Caldwell said. "She embodied and absolutely encapsulated everything that the owner wanted for the mural."

The owners of the coffee shop were blown away by the concept Rori came up with for the mural. Rori was one of five artists to submit a design for consideration by the shop.

Once selected, Rori and National Art Honor Society members hit the ground running to bring the creation to life. 

"There were about four or five submissions for the mural, and as my husband and I looked through them, this one was the one that spoke to us," Ms. Knight said. "It speaks to what PJ's is and the experience we want you to have when you come into our coffee shop."

This mural project took the group three weeks to paint. Students would take turns helping Rori complete the mural in their free time after school. Students were all smiles when the mural was revealed for everyone to see at the coffee shop.

Congratulations, Rori and the Klein High School Arts Honor Society! Your Klein family is so proud of your hard work and talent.