Martin Luther King Murals, Continued!

This is the third part in a series in which we are highlighting entries from our 6th annual Martin Luther King Mural Competition. Student artists in the Chicago area were selected for the Competition based on their current portfolios. Congratulation to all our 2012 Competition participants! Come take a look and maybe even get inspired to enter the competition yourself next year!

Skech 185 / Willie MacIntyre & Louder Than A Bomb Poets
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.s well-known phrase - "until justice rolls down like waters" - has the same rhetorical power as it did August 28, 1963, but the words themselves sound different after more than 50 years, especially when spoken from the mouths of Chicago's young people. Today, Chicago is known as the most racially segregated city in the United States. Chicago Speaks presents the sounds of a segregated city in conversation. We are asking, "what does integration sound like?"

This mural project is a fusion of Chicago-based histories in poetry and imagery from Louder Than A Bomb poets to explore the conflation of integration and diversity. As a text based mural, coupled with images of Chicago's youth, the work is similar to a 21st Century Greek Chourus resounding in multi-voice narratives. This is what Chicago sounds like!

Seonjoo Cho, nighttime photo of artwork

Seonjoo Cho, daytime photo of artwork

Seonjoo Cho

School of the Art Institute of Chicago, '13
"We need both white and black keys to make music. That is the reason for coexistence."

*The murals are on display through March at Hostelling International Chicago, 24 East Congress Parkway. The exhibition is free and open to the public for viewing between 9am and 9pm, seven days a week. Check out our website for more information and the complete gallery! Don't forget to check out part 1 and part 2 of the series, and have a lovely Valentine's Day!