Project Overview

Students from The Northwest Opportunities Vocational Academy (NOVA) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin created the March to Equality exhibition in collaboration with Arts @ Large, Kid Curators, LLC, and numerous community partners.
Arts @ Large, a nonprofit arts education organization, assembled community collaborators including local artists and authors, community activists, and content experts. They also provided a public venue for student work—Gallery @ Large, which opens a new exhibition four times per year on Milwaukee Gallery Night. NOVA students had the opportunity to present their work to a public audience during this citywide event.
First, project planners created an exhibition story line, which included central focusing questions and supporting research. Using this organizing structure, students read about the Milwaukee civil rights movement, interviewed activists, analyzed primary source materials utilizing the rich digital archive at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, worked with historian, Jasmine Alinder, poet and activist, Margaret Rozga, and other experts to better understand the movement. Students synthesized their findings, created an exhibition plan and designed displays to tell the story.
Before writing their own text panels, students studied professional exhibit label copy to better understand this unique style of writing. They also studied professional exhibits at the Milwaukee Public Museum and the Jewish Milwaukee Museum, using an exhibition observation guide. Students worked with drama and music experts, Sherri Williams Pannell and Pat Bridges, to create performance pieces for their opening night celebration. Dramatic re-enactments, musical performances, and mock protests were all part of the opening night programming.