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Empowering Through Panels: W.E.B. Dubois Academy Pitch Comics
Opened August 14, 2022
Empowering Through Panels is an exhibition that explores the power of imagination, creativity, and brotherhood. Displaying the brilliance of their creative minds, groups of students teamed up together to create their own original pitch comic stories and illustrations. A pitch comic is a proposal for a full comic book that includes a synopsis and sample artwork.
In this semester-long project, artists were guided by the comic creator of Black Heart Comic, Julian Thomas. Thomas guided the artist through a 12-week exploration of pitch comic creation. The students explored the history of comics and manga, seeing how this art form has shaped popular culture. The artists also were tasked to turn concepts into art, by way of storytelling, world creation, and accompanying written art with visual illustrations.
Throughout this art project, the artist created a space amongst their working groups and the overall class that led to discussions about racism, classism, fashion, movies, and more. These conversations are a product of their individual and connected lived experiences. You can see much of themselves through the color, storylines, and graphics highlighted in each panel of artwork.
All the artists part of this project are current or graduating students of W.E.B. Dubois Academy. Dubois Academy is an all-male school with a mission to engage, eliminate barriers, and empower each young man to achieve excellence. The participants in this program were a part of the GT art program at the school. The GT art program is likened to an advanced art class for students showing prominent levels of interest in visual art, and the arts in general.
Through the Community Connections program, the Speed Art Museum seeks to positively impact our community by creating artistic platforms that amplify the voice of individuals and groups that have been largely unheard. We do this by strengthening our connection with others by building reciprocal relationships based on shared understanding & compassion.
This project was funded by a grant from the Norton Foundation.