Art of Resistance & Resilience (AR&R), Franklin High School’s social and environmental justice focused art club, will be hosting a community art show Fri., Nov. 9 from 6:00 -9:00 p.m. at the Mt. Baker Artspace community room at 2915 Rainier Avenue South (entrance in back of building). The art show will be celebrating the unveiling of their 40’ x 7’ commemorative mural that honors the legacy of the Seattle Chapter Black Panther Party’s (SCBPP) accomplishments on the eve of their 50thanniversary.
The event will also feature a photo essay by Unapologetic Artist and Creatives, a people of color-led collective of local ARTivists (artists + activists) and creative storytellers in Seattle. The photos essay captures the essence of the SCBPP and their significant role in Seattle’s history.
In addition, the event will feature a short film produced by Franklin students Veronique Harris and Miles Grant documenting the creation of the mural from start to finish, Native American storytelling by Roger Fernandes (Lower Elwha S’klallum), live poetry and spoken word by Franklin students and alumni. Admission will be free and open to all ages. The event is also a fundraiser for AR&R with full color posters of the mural available for purchase.
AR&R initiated the mural project in January of 2018 when they hosted a community forum at Franklin High School, inviting stakeholders of this often misunderstood and misrepresented chapter of Black history in Seattle to share input on the narrative of the mural to ensure integrity and accuracy of the mural narrative. Working closely with SCBPP founders, former members, and other historians and community members, the club researched the history and created a preliminary design, promising the original members a review of the design for approval before beginning the painting process. Once the design was approved by SCBPP with great satisfaction, AR&R painted the mural during a series of mural painting parties with the artistic participation of twenty-six Franklin High School students and five volunteer adult artist mentors.
The soon to be installed wooden mural will be located on a fence lining the Franklin athletic field on Rainier Avenue and MLK Blvd. It will be unveiled at the beginning of the celebration.
