ORLANDO, Fla. — For visual arts students at Orange County Public Schools's Howard Middle School, there is nothing like learning from the pros.

On Wednesday, classes headed to the basketball courts to watch local muralists work. The experience was a collaboration between the school and its foundation, as well as the Downtown Arts District and Thornton Park District.

We do it "to help inspire them, connect them to the community and to each other, especially during the pandemic, when disconnect has been a theme for so many," explained Kimberly Beckler, the school's principal. “The arts is just a fantastic way to connect the students."

Some students, learning from home, asked artists questions virtually, as their teacher held a phone and moved it around to showcase the colorful artwork.

According to Beckler, about 40% of students at her school are still participating in eLearning.

Other students, like 12-year-old Larissa Gibson, asked questions in person.

Gibson said she's always loved doodling since she was in prekindergarten. Most birthdays, the student happily receives art supplies, as she focuses now on painting and sketching.

But, when Larissa met artist German Lemus, she peppered him with questions about his mural on the side of the school's nearly 100-year-old building, asking him about everything from textures to his techniques.

“We have to cultivate our youth of creativity. ... This is my chance to kind of give back to my community," said Lemus, who just opened up an art gallery called Studio Art Farm in Mount Dora with his business partner, PJ Svejda.

“It used to be viewed as vandalism, but if it’s something like this, it’s very beautiful," Gibson said.

Yet, even as a seventh-grader, Larissa is acutely aware of perceptions of women in art and that female artists are disproportionately represented.

“It does bother me when people think they can’t do this because they’re a woman," she said, gesturing to another piece of artwork behind her produced by a female muralist. “You see it right now and think, 'Oh, they can.' Women are powerful and can do the same amount of things as men can do.”

According to the National Museum of Women in the Arts, data from 18 major U.S. art museums found collections are 87% male and 85% white. In addition, 46% of visual artists in the U.S. are women, but they earn 74 cents for every dollar earned by male artists.

“It’s not really about gender, it’s about your talent," Gibson said.

Lemus agrees. In fact, his inspiration for his piece is his partner, Svejda, who he depicts as a wolf next to her son.

“Women need to say the things that have not been said in a long time," he said. “If a woman gives you perspective, without you modifying it, it gives you a chance to understand.”

Lemus said that he hopes to support emerging artists, helping to cultivate the next generation.

“A child coming through and asking me, ‘What does this mean?’ — this is me, passing that along to see what he can make of it. Or she can make of it," he said. “I think the pandemic has brought out, heightened the idea that we need art for us to find a sense of belonging in the world.”

The Howard Middle School Foundation is raising money to fund the mural project, as well as a new upright Yamaha piano for its orchestra room.

The total cost is around $11,000, and according to the school district, any additional funds will go toward future projects and teacher grants to support Howard students.