Belfast, Maine — “S.P.E.A.K.”, Students Promoting Equity, Art, and Knowledge, a new multimedia art exhibit created by Troy Howard Middle School’s 8th grade social studies students, is at the H. Allen and Sally Fernald Art Gallery at the University of Maine Hutchinson Center in Belfast. The show, on display through August 31, is free and open to the public from 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Monday–Friday. There will be a public reception for the exhibit on Friday, June 2, at the Hutchinson Center from 4:30–6:30 p.m., with refreshments. The opening reception will include breakout discussions led by the students to share their research and message of their artwork.
The art show is the culmination of Troy Howard Middle School’s 8th grade social studies students exploration of creating art and awareness in response to violations and infringement of individual rights based on the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. They chose individual rights to research, relating to current events in our world, which are shown in the media being denied or infringed upon. The student’s art pieces highlight the importance of these basic human rights, and the need to raise awareness and bring attention to these issues.
From the Troy Howard Middle School students; “Our mission is to inspire, educate, and make a difference. We hope to raise awareness about human rights violations through the universal language of art. We are the future generation and we’re here to spread knowledge and make you stop and think about our world. It is our goal to help people acknowledge injustices so that future generations will be able to grow up in a more fair and accepting society.”
For information or to request a reasonable accommodation, contact Laura Matthews, hutchinsoncenter@maine.edu. More information about the Hutchinson Center’s Fernald Art Gallery and the “S.P.E.A.K.” exhibition can be found online here.
Featured Images: “Love is Love” by Rowan Megquier, “Let Speech Soar” by Mya Mitchell, “Land of Guns” by Garak Brimer, “Speak” by Ian Lucas
More bout Troy Howard Middle School and Students Promoting Equity, Art, and Knowledge
About the Hutchinson Center:
The Hutchinson Center is an outreach center for the University of Maine in Orono that serves as an educational and cultural center for the midcoast area. It is named for University of Maine President Emeritus Frederick E. Hutchinson. The mission of the Hutchinson Center is to broaden access to University of Maine academic and non-degree programs and services, lifelong learning opportunities, and professional and career development experiences using innovative approaches that increase synergy among University of Maine System entities, University of Maine departments and divisions, and that engage a wider Maine community.
About the University of Maine:
The University of Maine, founded in Orono in 1865, is the state’s land grant, sea grant and space grant university, with a regional campus at the University of Maine at Machias. UMaine is located on Marsh Island in the homeland of the Penobscot Nation. UMaine Machias is located in the homeland of the Passamaquoddy Nation. As Maine’s flagship public university, UMaine has a statewide mission of teaching, research and economic development, and community service. UMaine is the state’s only public research university and among the most comprehensive higher education institutions in the Northeast. It attracts students from all 50 states and 81 countries. UMaine currently enrolls 11,989 undergraduate and graduate students, and UMaine Machias enrolls 747 undergraduates. Our students have opportunities to participate in groundbreaking research with world-class scholars. UMaine offers more than 100 degree programs through which students can earn master’s, doctoral or professional science master’s degrees, as well as graduate certificates. UMaine Machias offers 18 degree programs. The university promotes environmental stewardship, with substantial efforts campuswide to conserve energy, recycle and adhere to green building standards in new construction. For more information about UMaine and UMaine Machias, visit umaine.edu and machias.edu.
