Drawing In The Community
Ahead of North Carolina’s midterm elections, the Freedom Center and our partners embarked on an innovative voter engagement initiative called Drawing People To The Polls. Local students and artists were brought together and equipped to use chalktivism to bring attention to the midterms and get the vote out at their college campuses. Over the course of 3 weeks in April a series of chalk murals were made in highly trafficked areas of several North Carolina college campuses, each of them depicting the urgency and power of young people’s vote. Prior to this, students from Queens University, Johnson C Smith University, UNC Greensboro, and Central Piedmont Community College attended a summit on the history of socially engaged art practices and the North Carolina midterm elections. Those students were paired with talented local artists who met with them on campus the day of their event. Artists drew out the outline of a collaboratively made design concept in chalk while students and other onlookers were encouraged by our team to participate in coloring it in while also registering to vote.
Johnson C Smith University:
Historically black college Johnson C. Smith University’s 12 x 24 foot chalk mural was designed by local artist Tiara Mitchell and located between the Student Union and Biddle Hall. Mitchell’s design, created with student feedback, shows a brown hand dropping ballots into a box which read “Our Voice Matters”, a reference to the Black Lives Matter movement. The first ‘Drawing People to the Polls’ event took place in Charlotte, North Carolina on the campus of Johnson C. Smith University on Friday, April 8.
Queens University:
Artist Montrel Carson worked with students at Queen’s University of Charlotte to create a stunning 3D voting themed mural in front of their clock tower. This mural was made up of surrealist and floral elements which were in bright contrast to the brick and concrete backdrop around the university. Carson stated “It represents standing on the foundations of your right to vote- the motto is stand for something or fall for anything.”
Central Piedmont Community College:
Central Piedmont Community College: Artists Elle Walsh and Liz Ortega collaborated to create a mural which reflected the importance of inclusivity and multiculturalism. The rainbow flag may be ubiquitous with the LGBTQ community, but in this case it also pays homage to the many races and nationalities that merge during election season under a common purpose- using democracy to have their voices heard.
University of North Carolina - Greensboro:
Artist Darrius McRae teamed up with Ashley Billie, Tyler Eliis, Muskan Khadka, and other students from the UNC Greensboro’s Office of Leadership and Civic Engagement (UNCG OLCE) to encourage students to vote and come up with a meaningful mural design that would beautify the walkway behind the EUC building. Dozens of students from all ages, races, and majors took a break between classes to create their own “bubbles” to add to the design, each one with a creative drawing and message about voting!