Between Sept. 7 and 11, the Marquette community will be invited to vote for the wining proposal for a mural to be installed on the north-facing facade of the Varsity Theater/Holthusen Hall building.
Voting will be available next Monday, Sept.7, on the Haggerty Museum’s website.
The project is the result of conversations among campus stakeholders over the years, including representatives from the MUSG, the executive leadership team, the Cultural Audit sub-group of the Equity and Inclusion Committee, and staff from the Haggerty Museum of Art.
A Mural Committee comprised of representatives from these and other campus groups- including the newly formed President’s Committee on Racial Equity — has been formed to oversee the creation of a mural that is informed by the principles articulated in Marquette University’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion plan. The committee invited a number of local artists to submit proposals for a mural concept that:
- Showcases the diversity, richness and complexity of the Milwaukee community and addresses Marquette’s relationship with its neighboring communities
- Reflects the current cultural moment, addresses racial justice activism on the local level, and highlights how that activism contributes to national and international protest movements
- Highlights that there is shared responsibility for transformation, and speaks to collective action and a positive vision for and faith in Marquette and Milwaukee’s future
- Acknowledges the past, honors the present, and envisions a hopeful and more just future
The mural is not intended to be permanent, but rather will serve as a starting point for a multi-year program to bring in a diverse range of artists to contribute to Marquette’s physical campus environment.
Once the winning proposal is selected from a slate of finalists via online voting, the artist will participate in a campus community listening session via Teams to gather feedback that will inform the final design.
The mural will be installed in October, and the campus community will be invited to participate in several subsequent virtual programs with the artist and Haggerty staff.
For more information, contact the Haggerty Museum of Art at haggertym@marquette.edu.