Fiona Riley ‘22

A New Reality: Mr. Siegel’s Honors 2D Design Class can be seen wearing masks and hard at work. Photo courtesy of Macy Szukics.

The EA Art Department has embraced the  “Fill the Walls with Hope” project to support the expression of powerful messages through creativity.  Susan Coote, Gallery Coordinator, contextualized the project, noting that this open-call wheat-paste poster project allows for student artists to express their creativity and share powerful messages. Coote noted that the community  will be “creating exhibitions and presentations involving visual art, creative writing, and performances,” and in that sense, David Sigel’s 2D art class’s involvement is only a portion of the entire project. 

Created by the artist and activist Mark Stranquist, “Fill the Walls with Hope” builds off the “EMERGE” project that is currently on display in the Crawford Campus Center Gallery. “This project is also particularly important because it breaks out of the traditional gallery walls. Our gallery in the Campus Center seems isolated this year and doing a more “public art” installation is a way to share this amazing project with our community,” explains Coote. She also hopes that “by sharing these messages and creating their own, the students will create an art experience that helps them learn and communicate in a meaningful way.”  Sigel is working with his students to create meaningful pieces of art for the community to enjoy. “We are in a time of uncertainty, disruption, confusion, mixed emotions, and a lack of clarity with what is going to be our new normal can be scary for some or many. Many of us can look to our faith, our family, and or our community,” explains Sigel. He believes that as a school community, it is the responsibility of all EA students, parents and teachers to, “Be able to lean on each other, support each other and lift each other up when we are down. Hope, love, and empathy are crucial components in how we can heal and grow as a community.” Sigel hopes that students will be able to use the “Fill the Walls with Hope” Project to help emphasize these feelings. 

Sigel presented the questions to his students, “If we as artists have the ability to understand that art is no more than visual communication, shouldn’t we work to be agents of positivity and hope? If students are our future and even our ‘now’ how can we be part of the solution and not just adding to the negative narrative? With our school days not being like they were, shouldn’t we look for ways to reflect and remind each other that we are in this together and we should be hopeful?” Sigel emphasizes that the capabilities of his students always impress him and give him hope. Tracy Rosenberg ‘21, a member of Sigel’s Honors 2D Design V class, describes how they “have been working on designing posters and murals in class on issues we care about.” She explains, “My poster and mural idea is about the importance of green energy and the Green New Deal, which is a topic I’m passionate about, but the other ideas range in topic.” Sigel and Rosenberg both emphasized that through external projects such as this one, “EA is giving students a platform to voice their ideas through art,” which is beneficial for their development as creative minds.