This&That
Mural Art in Practice
Mural Art in Practice — Spring 2026
Mural Art in Practice is a hands-on course at Temple University Japan led by TokyoDex founder Daniel Harris Rosen, designed to connect classroom learning with real-world mural production. Based at BnA_WALL in Nihonbashi, the course is structured around a live client project with BnA, whose art hotel model integrates creative work into everyday space. Students develop and execute original mural concepts for the site, working within an active, public-facing environment and responding to site conditions, audience context, and client feedback.
The central theme of this semester's project is Nihonbashi. Students were encouraged to spend time in the area, observe its atmosphere and character, and form their own interpretations of the neighborhood. Each mural reflects a personal perspective shaped through research and direct engagement with the space. Over the course of the semester, students moved from concept development to scaled design, mock-ups, revisions, and final on-site execution. The process emphasizes not only artistic expression, but also communication, adaptability, and the ability to work within real constraints.
The final work presented here represent each student’s first experience working at scale in a real-world context. Created and completed on-site, these works mark a transition from study to practice, where ideas move beyond the page and into the city.
Behind the Scenes
From initial concept development to the final execution of the murals, students took part in every stage of the process with their own hands.
Throughout production, they engaged in ongoing experimentation, guided not only by their professor but also through mentorship and feedback.
Please take a look at the process leading up to completion and what the production site looked like.
Mural Artists
Aleena Evangelista
By using illustration, painting, sculpture, and various other mediums, Aleena Evangelistai is an artist that uses art to express the vulnerability of human emotions and the everlasting presence of childlike wonder.
They hold an Associate’s degree in ceramics, and are currently pursuing a B.A. in Art from Temple University Japan. Their first solo exhibition was held in 2023 at The Art ‘Museum’ of the Poor, Tired, and Rejected at Liberty Station in San Diego, California.
Anjelinna Faythe Persson
Anjelinna grew up in Las Vegas, NV but spent her first 2 years of “adulthood” in Miami, FL as a teacher and freelancing graphic design. She then decided to move to Tokyo with the desire to grow as an individual, especially as an artist. Her work begins with physical painting processes, usually by a finger-drag acrylic technique, then layered brushwork to create controlled abstraction. Typically, She is interested in translating places into emotional movement rather than literal representation.
BELLE CHAU
Belle Chau is currently majoring in Arts and Japanese in Temple University. During her primary school period she explored multiple areas in art such as ceramics, resin art and fabric art. Throughout her middle and high school years she has done more digital art (Procreate). Now in college she is doing and exploring art in areas like dry/wet medium, crafts and traditional arts.
Emily McGarr
Emily McGarr is a senior art student at Temple University based in Tokyo specializing in landscape and animal painting. She likes using bold colors and a mixed-media style that integrates realism, graphic elements, and patterns into her work. Starting in 2011, she studied photography and volunteered for a local nonprofit in her hometown until 2017. She also plays trombone and euphonium professionally, starting at age 12. She enjoys nature and incorporating it into her concepts. After living in a densely populated city, she thinks it is important to be reminded of natural elements from time to time as well.
Hawks
Hawks is currently an Art major student in Temple University. His hobbies is to try out different art mediums to create different forms of art. From high school to college, he have used different forms of mediums such as color pencils, copic markers, dry pastels, oil paint and digital art. His speciality is markers and oil painting. He like to add story-telling into his work while using contrast of tones to create different vibes for different piece, so a mix of semi-realism and manga art style will be shown in his works.
Lyric Hebert
Lyric Hebert has experience working across a variety of mediums, engaging in fields such as digital art, ceramics, and photography. He focuses primarily on character design and concept illustration.
Skye
A 19 year old self-taught artist from California, Skye is a bold, graphic, yet realistic painter, illustrator, and multimedia artist. She is known for her semi-realistic portraiture and depiction of natural forms. Currently in training to become a tattoo artist, she is also extremely familiar with graphic, more bold styles. Skye has been featured three times in two exhibitions, two pieces in Fall of 2025 and one piece in Spring 2026. She is also the proud winner of the first annual Cherry Festival Art Competition in 2023.
Lusheta Ando
Lusheta explores the ideas of play and healing the inner child. She creates work that channels a sense of whimsy and childlike excitement. She views her working process as a playground where her current self and inner child can play together by keeping that sense of childness wonder alive. As a whimsical artist, her passion for art extends across illustration, printmaking, painting, photography, and sculpture. This allows her to choose the perfect “toy” for every creative idea.
Juan José Sánchez Riquelme
Juan is a second-year art student originally from Chile. He developed an interest in art at a young age, although he isn't encouraged to pursue it as a career at the time. After coming to Japan, He founds the opportunity to follow what He is truly passionate about. His work is mainly inspired by comics, cartoons, and anime, as these are the styles that motivate and influence him the most. He has been exploring different art mediums to expand his skills and gain a broader understanding of artistic expression. He is currently working toward his goal of becoming a professional artist and continuing to develop his career in the future.
Mentor
MAHARO
MAHARO is a multidisciplinary illustrator, painter and art director who got his start in 2000 doing collaborations with musicians and advertising agencies. Later in life, he left the world of event flyers, record jackets and music videos behind to pursue his own expressions which mix his deep-rooted understanding of Japanese traditional arts with global aesthetic influences absorbed through his world travels.
The resulting work provides powerful contrasts of black and white, new and old, and elements from inside and outside Japan, making him a highly sought-after creator both at home and in the global arena.