Students leap triumphantly after seeing their efforts to create an impactful public art project come to fruition. Photo courtesy of Anna Pocaro.
Utah Humanities (UH), the state partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities, aims to support Utah communities through humanities programming and education. Through the We Are One Project, UH empowered student leaders at East High School in Salt Lake City to bridge growing divisions at their increasingly diverse school through an ambitious public art project.
“We’re committed to strengthening unity in our school and community by celebrating our individuality and by honoring everyone’s cultural and ethnic diversity.”
–Project mission statement crafted by students
Read More
The project was created by students in a Clemente Course, a national humanities program serving populations underrepresented in higher education. East High partnered with the University of Utah and Westminster College to offer a Clemente Course to a diverse group of intellectually curious students whose parents had not attended college. Their Art History instructor, Jorge Rojas, introduced the class to the global INSIDE OUT project, which transforms messages of personal identity into public works of art. The students surprised Rojas by seizing upon the premise as something they could do themselves to make their rapidly-diversifying school more inclusive.
Students work together to post the representative photos of their classmates to a prominent exterior wall of the school. Photo courtesy of Trisha Empey.
Students work together to post the representative photos of their classmates to a prominent exterior wall of the school. Photo courtesy of Trisha Empey.
Rojas helped the students secure support for the project from Utah Humanities and the students stepped up to make it happen. They formulated a detailed plan—complete with mission statement, timeline, budget, and promotional video—and won the support of the principal, the faculty, and the entire student body. The students titled their project We Are One in reference to both the national motto, e pluribus unum, and their aims to unite their school. They tapped Trisha Empey, a professional photographer, to take portraits of the more than 300 of students who volunteered to be included. They selected and placed 100 portraits representing the current ethnic makeup of the once all-white school on a large wall facing one of the city’s busiest streets. The display literally stopped traffic, as intrigued passersby paused to take in the faces of a changing school. A sign invited all to share their reactions on UH’s website.
The official public unveiling of We Are One, attended by students and their families, members of the community, reporters, and school administrators and teachers. Photo courtesy of Anna Pocaro.
Half a decade later, We Are One’s impact continues to be felt at East High and beyond. Substantial media attention—including several television and radio broadcasts and a documentary produced by local youth media non-profit Spy Hop—has persisted long beyond the project’s conclusion. Clemente students went on to collect oral histories of their family’s migrations to the U.S., which are shared through the UH website. These students emerged with greater confidence, enhanced capabilities, and strengthened identities. Many, now in college, look back on it as a pivotal turning point. And UH learned invaluable lessons about how to best reach teens and seize upon unexpected programming opportunities. In recognition of the program’s impact, We Are One was awarded the 2014 Helen and Martin Schwartz Prize for outstanding public humanities programs by the Federation of State Humanities Councils.
