mural_06

Murals - Shmuel Willner's Class

Murals have often been used in Mexico, Latin America and the United States to communicate ideas of freedom, liberty, and justice. As part of our Latin American studies unit, our students have honored this tradition by making murals of their own depicting these themes.

The scale of justice portrays people on both sides positioned at an equal level. To the left is a man playing the trumpet. He represents the people of New Orleans. A lot of people there felt they weren't helped and they weren't heard. Everyone should have a voice in our society. On the lower left is a boy with a pot in front of him. This represents all the people in low-income countries who don't have enough food. In America we have so much food, while in other places many people are starvtng. Money is portrayed because money is a big issue for everyone. If money weren't a problem anywhere, then people's views of others' might change. All these things are around a dove of peace. The colors chosen were very light with a bright yellow color around them. The light blue color is peaceful and the yellow stands out more on the outside.

I thought of the world, so I drew a world. I thought of the land so I drew the land that was on the world. Then I thought about how the city was divided by color so I put two hands on the world: one white and one black. They embrace the world together equally, instead of being separated. My definition of social justice involves everyone being treated equal, no one being discriminated against, and everyone having the same rights to a fair trail.

Mexican Independence

Throughout the painting key events are taking place. First, the hand is reaching out beyond the bars of oppression to depict the people of Mexico's struggle in an effort to reach a glowing key of Liberty. The snake previously held the key for those caged at the bottom. The snake and eagle can be found today on the Mexican national flag. The eagle shown slaying the snake indicates that freedom has been victorious and the key shall now fall into the hands of those who have striven for it. In the upper right-hand corner, out of a blaze of chaos and tyranny, come two men sporting white uniforms. They are the soldiers who fought the for the cause of justice which will now prevail.

This piece depicts 6 pigeons representing elements of our society affected by social injustice. On the top row you will find 3 pigeons that represent the powers in our society. In the top left corner sits the pigeon that represents the rich. Next to it is the pigeon that represents American Politicians/Politics. Then in the top right corner is the pigeon that represents American law enforcement. Directly below the top row of pigeons you have the row of those in our society who are affected by the powers above. You have the "poor and homeless" pigeon, then the "blue collar family" pigeon, followed by the "ethnic group" pigeon. The pigeons which correspond with each other vertically have many problems in our society. This is represented by bird droppings. The rich in our society drop on the poor. The politicians in our society drop on the families in the working class. Law enforcement can be racist to ethnic groups and make assumptions.

The image at top shows "social justice" as a chain with each link containing an aspect of social justice. The first link represents health care for all people. The next link represents shelter, which is essential for survival. The next link, with the dove, represents freedom. Without freedom, there can be no social justice. The fourth link depicts a book and a pencil, which represents the need for access to education for all. The last link portrays the necessity of food and water for all people. The sun at the bottom of the top section represents the hope that one day all people will have health care, shelter, freedom, education, food and water.

The lower left panel portrays a just leader who watches over his people and truly cares for them. This care, and the reliance of the people upon their leaders, is represented by the world resting on the leader's shoulders. The flames portray the chaos that sometimes engulfs leaders, and the emotions on the people's faces are evident due to their suffering.

The lower right panel shows a pregnant woman being protected from an attacker by the police and by the hand of another woman. This represents the lack of social justice which exists in some societies where women are abused.

Each member of each class designed a prototype for a mural on a small piece of paper. Classes then voted on which depiction best represented their ideas about social justice. This idea was chosen for the class mural. In this way, the students considered many notions of social justice and then worked with those ideas in a hands-on environment.

Murals have often been used in Mexico, Latin America and the United States to communicate ideas of freedom, liberty, and justice. As part of our Latin American studies unit, our students have honored this tradition by making murals of their own depicting these themes.
Social Justice The scale of justice portrays people on both sides positioned at an equal level. To the left is a man playing the trumpet. He represents the people of New Orleans. A lot of people there felt they weren't helped and they weren't heard. Everyone should have a voice in our society. On the lower left is a boy with a pot in front of him. This represents all the people in low-income countries who don't have enough food. In America we have so much food, while in other places many people are starvtng. Money is portrayed because money is a big issue for everyone. If money weren't a problem anywhere, then people's views of others' might change. All these things are around a dove of peace. The colors chosen were very light with a bright yellow color around them. The light blue color is peaceful and the yellow stands out more on the outside.	Equality I thought of the world, so I drew a world. I thought of the land so I drew the land that was on the world. Then I thought about how the city was divided by color so I put two hands on the world: one white and one black. They embrace the world together equally, instead of being separated. My definition of social justice involves everyone being treated equal, no one being discriminated against, and everyone having the same rights to a fair trail.
Mexican Independence Throughout the painting key events are taking place. First, the hand is reaching out beyond the bars of oppression to depict the people of Mexico's struggle in an effort to reach a glowing key of Liberty. The snake previously held the key for those caged at the bottom. The snake and eagle can be found today on the Mexican national flag. The eagle shown slaying the snake indicates that freedom has been victorious and the key shall now fall into the hands of those who have striven for it. In the upper right-hand corner, out of a blaze of chaos and tyranny, come two men sporting white uniforms. They are the soldiers who fought the for the cause of justice which will now prevail.	The Roosting Order This piece depicts 6 pigeons representing elements of our society affected by social injustice. On the top row you will find 3 pigeons that represent the powers in our society. In the top left corner sits the pigeon that represents the rich. Next to it is the pigeon that represents American Politicians/Politics. Then in the top right corner is the pigeon that represents American law enforcement. Directly below the top row of pigeons you have the row of those in our society who are affected by the powers above. You have the "poor and homeless" pigeon, then the "blue collar family" pigeon, followed by the "ethnic group" pigeon. The pigeons which correspond with each other vertically have many problems in our society. This is represented by bird droppings. The rich in our society drop on the poor. The politicians in our society drop on the families in the working class. Law enforcement can be racist to ethnic groups and make assumptions.
Composite Mural The image at top shows "social justice" as a chain with each link containing an aspect of social justice. The first link represents health care for all people. The next link represents shelter, which is essential for survival. The next link, with the dove, represents freedom. Without freedom, there can be no social justice. The fourth link depicts a book and a pencil, which represents the need for access to education for all. The last link portrays the necessity of food and water for all people. The sun at the bottom of the top section represents the hope that one day all people will have health care, shelter, freedom, education, food and water. The lower left panel portrays a just leader who watches over his people and truly cares for them. This care, and the reliance of the people upon their leaders, is represented by the world resting on the leader's shoulders. The flames portray the chaos that sometimes engulfs leaders, and the emotions on the people's faces are evident due to their suffering. The lower right panel shows a pregnant woman being protected from an attacker by the police and by the hand of another woman. This represents the lack of social justice which exists in some societies where women are abused.	Making of the Mural Each member of each class designed a prototype for a mural on a small piece of paper. Classes then voted on which depiction best represented their ideas about social justice. This idea was chosen for the class mural. In this way, the students considered many notions of social justice and then worked with those ideas in a hands-on environment.