What We Want, What We Believe

  • The mural spans 120 feet with a theme of “Educate to Liberate.”
  • The mural team was fortunate to work directly with Emory Douglas, and they received valuable feedback.
  • Participants share their designs with the community and receive feedback from neighborhood residents.
  • Luckily, none of the artists were afraid of heights because they climbed high up on scaffolding in order to paint.
  • After extensive research, the mural team is ready to begin painting.
  • The mural appropriated design elements and iconography from Emory Douglas’s work.
What we Want, What we Believe 2What we Want, What we Believe

Project Description

"What We Want, What We Believe" is a mural inspired by the work of legendary artist and former Black Panther Emory Douglas. The mural project was completed in conjunction with a major retrospective, “Emory Douglas: Black Panther,” which was on display at the New Museum in 2009. In partnership with New Museum and The Studio Museum in Harlem, Groundswell youth and artists Clare Herron and Chris Beck have brought to life an original design based on Douglas’s work. In preparation for the mural project, students attended workshops at the New Museum and The Studio Museum to learn about the history of the Black Panther Party and the larger Black Power Movement. As part of the design research process, the students canvassed the neighborhood and interviewed locals to discuss the issues that the communities felt were most relevant. One community issue that many people spoke about during the neighborhood surveys was the lack of parent involvement in their children’s lives. Based on the artists’ research, the theme of the mural became “Educate to Liberate.”

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Project Info

Fun Facts

Suggested Activity
Create a drawing, painting, or collage based on different works from your favorite artist.
Impact
“What We Want, What We Believe” is the first large-scale public artwork celebrating the work of Emory Douglas in New York City.
Fun Fact
Emory Douglas was the Minister of Culture for the Black Panthers. He also designed the layout and oversaw production for the party’s legendary newspaper, the “Black Panther.”