Art of Activism Exhibition and Outdoor Banner Display

Today more than ever we need to use art to not only provide beauty and escapism but also to develop agency, educate, and provide discomfort for the social consciousness. Artists have been using art to communicate societal issues including gender, race, politics, and religion for generations. Art of Activism explores both the historical protest art of the 1960s and the ways in which current Maryland-based Black artists are using their work as a statement of activism.

Gallery Hours: Wednesdays & Fridays, 3:30-6:30 pm only. Please review our COVID-19 Response Plan when planning your visit. The outdoor banner display can be viewed anytime.

Maryland Hall, in partnership with the Banneker Douglass Museum and Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture, invited Maryland-based Black artists, whose work encapsulates activism and social justice and using the creative process to educate their audiences about diversity, equity and inclusion to send proposals to take one of six 5 ft. x 9 ft tall Black Lives Matter banners, which were hanging on the front steps of Maryland Hall, to use as a canvas for justice. Selected artists were asked to challenge viewers' perception of art by using their individual banner as a platform to discuss social oppression and systemic patterns through visual or performance art. Artists were commissioned $1,000 to design and create their banners. 

The artists selected by a panel of jurors, in addition to having their finished banners displayed on our campus, will participate in a curated exhibition, Art of Activism, which will be on display at Maryland Hall. Hand-selected protest art from private collections will be shown throughout the building to complement current activist art.