Visible Voices: Hieroglyphics for our Place and Times
by Margaret Morgan-Hubbard, Director, The Engaged University
Thanks to a grant from the National Endowment of the Arts, the Engaged University was able to bring together nationally-known spoken word poet Regie Cabico; graffiti artist, Matt Gifford; and two University of Maryland students: poet Henry Mills and artist Angela Annecchino; to help the afterschool art club at Charles Carroll Middle School produce a dramatic six panel mural for the entrance to their school. School art teacher Rebecca Sprowl organized the 23 member student art club and was present every Tuesday and Thursday for the duration of the project.
The title of the project is Visible Voices: Hieroglyphics for our Place and Times. The mural traces the development of communication technologies, beginning with Egyptian Hieroglyphics that signify the name of the school, moving next to the Gutenberg printing press, then to the typewriter, the computer and finally the PDA. At the same time, each panel depicts students communicating directly with one another via words and gestures, indicating that face-to-face oral and gestural communication persists. The final panel shows five pairs of fingers forming the peace symbol and making up a star, with a variety of different graffiti tags produced by each of the students who worked on the project as their unique signature.
The project began in January 2009 and ended with a ceremony of the arts at the school on June 4, 2009, complete with poetry read by students and local spoken word artists, the unveiling of the mural, and recitals by the Charles Carroll’s band and chorus. More than 200 parents and students attended.