Ida B. Wells Middle School
Expertise: Creative Direction/ Fabrication/ Installation/ Project Management
About the Project
Ida B. Wells Middle School is a social justice school-wide enrichment model (SEM) school and prioritizes providing a well-balanced, rigorous, and loving learning environment for students while also engaging and developing our students as change agents for our community. Established in 2019, we were contacted by DC’s Department of General Services (DGS) to propose and develop a permanent public artwork for their Percent for Art program. This program supports the local creative economy and complements the agency’s award-winning architecture with diverse and inspiring permanent works of art.
Wall A (38ft x 4ft)
Process
The permanent artwork requirements were to be fireproof and a secured installation with hardware that allowed for de-install while also bringing life to the hallway and spanned over 68 ft in width and 4ft in height. With all the requirements for the commission and my curiosity, we focused on developing a sculptural painting that used the wall as a negative space to create a composition.
“How can we construct a composition using physical space interchangeably as background and negative space?
Wall B (30ft x 4ft)
In 2020, our curiosity grew about space and finding ways to push our work from a flat 2D space to 3D. We were interested in developing a sculptural painting that used the wall as a negative space to create a composition. We wanted to create something that explored this interest but also spoke to our collective experience. Using MDF board, layering newspaper, medium, and paint, we fabricated over 60 cut-out shapes and created Debris.
Debris is an ode to resilience, hope, and perseverance. We were heavily influenced by the news and the state of the world when creating Debris. The idea of our world being wrecked and destroyed was very present in our mind. Each shape is different and has a unique texture affixed to the wall representing a metaphor for the year of chaos, of being broken and having to start over.
Having to pick up the pieces of a broken system and build something new can be overwhelming and intimidating, but we wanted to bring that it is possible to create something new and beautiful from Debris. We want this work to speak to that and bring some joy into the world.