THE LEARNING TREE INTERACTIVE MURAL PUBLIC ART
Awarded by the Palm Beach State College | Eissey Campus | Palm Beach Gardens | Florida | 2025
In 2025, I had the honor of serving as an HMS Visiting Artist Fellow at Palm Beach State College. This fellowship, supported by the Helen M. Salzberg Center for Visual Arts, aims to provide support for contemporary visual artists and works collaboratively with the Studio Art Program at Palm Beach State College. I had the opportunity to collaborate with the Koo Family mentees and other students and employees on the Eissey campus to create a large-scale mural that reflects the power of learning and creativity. This allowed me to engage directly with the college community, transforming a blank wall into a vibrant visual space filled with tropical elements and inspiring quotes. Read more below.
The fellowship also provided mentorship opportunities, enabling me to guide students through various aspects of the artistic process. One activity was a field trip with the mentees to the Garden of Life LLC, a company where I had the privilege of painting over seven large murals between 2014 and 2022. These murals are located in the conference rooms, lobby, and hallways, and reflect themes aligning with the company’s mission. The goal of the visit was for the students to experience large-scale murals in a business setting and observe how art transforms corporate spaces. By experiencing the murals in a professional business setting, students gained insight into how murals can enhance a workplace and communicate a brand’s identity.
THE LEARNING TREE MURAL ON EISSEY CAMPUS
I designed the mural to make it interactive and engaging, inviting students to actively participate in its creation. This project became a truly collaborative experience, where students were encouraged to research, select, and contribute inspiring quotes, which they then hand-painted onto the mural. This approach transformed the wall into a living tapestry of wisdom and creativity, reflecting the diverse voices and perspectives of the student body. By incorporating their own words and handwriting, the mural became more than just a work of art—it evolved into a collective expression of growth, knowledge, and shared inspiration.
This experience has been so rewarding. I am grateful for the support of Palm Beach State College, the HMS Visiting Artist Fellowship program, the Koo Family, and the professors who facilitated this collaboration – Jacques de Beaufort and Erika Cespedes. Seeing the mural come to life with the students’ voices is a true testament to the transformative power of art. Their participation reinforced my belief that public art is a powerful tool for engagement, education, and personal expression.
TESTIMONIALS
For more reviews click here
“The Riviera Beach Community Redevelopment Agency would like to thank Murals by Georgeta for being a vital part of our Riviera Beach Art and Branding Project. Georgeta had the daunting task of installing a great piece of artwork at the main intersection of our City. The design and the final product was truly something special. Her positive work ethic and consummate professionalism were also to be admired. We look forward to working with her in the near future.” – Riviera Beach CRA Leadership
“We hired Georgeta for a custom paint project on the keel bulb of a racing sailboat belonging to a client. She was very professional and worked with us to get the design exactly as we wanted it. She was also super flexible about using the marine paint that was required for the job. Once the work started, she was incredibly efficient and actually finished ahead of schedule. The result was excellent and was identical to the presented design. We would absolutely work with Georgeta again and highly recommend her for custom paintwork.” Brad Magovsky, AREA 51 Global Logistics
I have worked with Georgeta for three Public Art mural projects… I have had the privilege to witness her work ethic and ability to communicate and work with staff and stakeholders to achieve a consensus regarding the final mural. She is a tireless worker who constantly reworks her designs to accommodate all the opinions offered. I highly recommend Georgeta Fondos as an extremely creative artist, muralist, professional artist, and creative mind to execute a mural for you.” Beth Ravitz, Public Artist and Artist Consultant, Lauderhill, Florida
“Georgeta is absolutely AMAZING. She is able to take a verbal concept and transform it into an incredible tangible creation. We have had her paint several murals in our office and each one is phenomenal!! …Georgeta was AMAZING to work with. Her creativity knows no boundaries and her creations bring joy to all who view them.“ Teresa Miller, Vice President, Human Resources, Garden of Life, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
“Georgeta is very professional and reliable and spends a lot of time in doing research for the project. She provides very detailed designs. As a result, her murals are very complex and engaging.” George Gadson, Public Artist and Artist Consultant, Tamarac, Florida
“Superb work! She took a photograph of a Costa Rica Rainforest and made it come alive on my outside wall, using a scaffold to reach high and difficult spots. The attention to detail and realism were stunning. We are very satisfied with the result and professionalism of the job.” C. Cary, Parkland, Florida.
