At the boys and girls club, I made a new friend. He was a sophomore in high school, reluctant to engage in the mural activity we were conducting. He was quiet, kind and secretly a creative. We are all secretly creatives if we let ourselves have the freedom to be. After much convincing, he joined me in collaboration on a Renelda cut out. As we worked together he asked me questions about the Art and Social Change class that brought me to the workshop, my education at Notre Dame and my family. He told me about his sisters, his love of basketball and what classes he did and did not like. We learned that we both took welding classes. I liked mine, he said it wasn’t for him. We both liked the tangible process of holding things we made in the class. This is how I knew he was a creative. At the end of the workshop, when most of the boys and girls club members had left, my classmates and I were cleaning up for the afternoon. My new friend approached me and said “thank you for making art with me today. I don’t usually come after school but I want to come back.”
Art is a powerful bridge that opens gaping space for connection. Maureen O’Connell opens “If These Walls Could Talk” with a quote by Jane Golden reading “Community art can knit people together in a way that other things can’t. It has this ability to build consensus and to challenge people who think collectively for the greater good.” The creation of the mural at Foundry Field is a labor of love, collaboration, and a beautiful display of untold history made public. This project has brought together local baseball teams, children in the South Bend community, black muralists, Notre Dame faculty and students, and former team members and their family members.
Through the Art and Social Change course, my classmates and I explored the history of Uncle Bill's softball team, learning of the girls' accomplishments, the grave injustices they endured in a segregated America, the power of mentorship, and the joys of sweet victory from determination and hard work. In creating art that will live in public spaces, you are creating windows into connection, community, and conversations. I enjoy how Maureen O’Connell frames the four components of every mural to be the socio-historical context, the pieces themselves, those who create them, and those who interpret them. I saw this framework in action as we began the foundation of our course, deeply engaging with the history of Uncle Bill’s team and the members' stories. Artist Ashley Nora worked with us to craft the story of the team and the women through the visuals of her art. These pieces all came together through the workshop with the Boys and Girls Club, where we gathered together to share stories of the importance of the team's history and worked to create pieces that will live at Foundry Field for others to enjoy and engage with the history.
The beauty of murals that Maureen O’Connell explores is that they bring art into the public sphere, accessible to groups of people that otherwise may not engage with. Art often is shut out behind closed museum doors and paywalls creating exclusivity. Murals are open with wide arms inviting people from all corners to view, ask questions and contribute to. The history of Uncle Bill’s team was overshadowed through media bias, white narratives and injustices. Now, working to create a mural that will live in a community space, proudly displaying the history of the team, we are honoring Uncle Bills. The hope in creating this mural is that it will spark conversation and serve as a public effort to continue striving for a world free from injustice.
To my new friend who I met at the boys and girls club, I hope he left feeling welcomed in his community and empowered by his contribution to the mural that will live in his community. The creation of art breathes life into communities. I am honored to witness and contribute to the magic of connection through creation.
