The Kugelman Honors Program at the University of West Florida (UWF) selected fifteen students to create a public mural as a collective response to the Black Lives Matter movement.
The mural is displayed in the John C. Pace Library. The program sponsored the project as part of its Equity and Diversity Initiative.
“UWF has a tradition of using public art on campus to engage students, faculty, staff and visitors, which we want to continue,” said Dr. Gregory Tomso, director of the Kugelman Honors Program. “I think the value in public art is ensuring the conversation about racial justice will be ongoing, even after this particular moment in history has passed.”
“When I first joined the project, I was concerned about painting a mural that was nothing but words with empty promises,” said Nelly Arnett, junior communications major and graphic design minor. “However, we’ve discussed that our entire goal of the artwork is to create something powerful and inspiring to make a loud statement that Black Lives Matter. I learned about how murals relating to the Black Lives Matter movement were covered up and how several cities were painting their own murals with no intention to create actual change, and my passion for this project grew.”