Troy Howard Middle School presents ‘S.P.E.A.K.’ Art Exhibit (May 31 – August 31, 2023)

“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 light 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

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