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MONDAY, JUNE 26, 2017 | VOLUME 134 ISSUE 04
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THE STUDENT VOICE SINCE 1904
Self says Kings 'a great place' for Frank Mason III
▶ WESLEY DOTSON
@WesDotsonUDK
Self said he thinks Mason's mentality will
KANSAN.COM
ARTS & CULTURE
Rocket Grant recipient's collaborative Lawrence mural to depict history of Kansas women of color
Contributed Photo Kansas City-based activist Nedra Bonds will serve as an artist and mentor to the project.
Contributed Photo
Contributed Photo Imani A. Wadud, a doctoral student in the University Department of American Studies will assist with research for the project.
Contributed Photo Lawrence artist Marilyn Hinojosa conceived the idea to paint a mural depicting local women of color with Connie Fitzpatrick.
Contributed Photo Lawrence artist Connie Fitzpatrick conceived the idea to paint a mural depicting local women of color with Marilyn Hinojosa.
Contributed Photo
▶ LIBBY FLOOD
@libbyflood13
Two years ago, when Lawrence artist Connie Fiorella Fitzpatrick was collaborating with the Lawrence Public Library to research the history of local black women, she discovered something that unsettled her. Instead of the stacks of recorded history she was anticipating, very little was available at Watson Library about Lawrence's women of color.
Now, Fitzpatrick has come up with a way that will, hopefully, begin to fill that gap.
Next summer work will begin on a public
mural that will portray the unique experiences of Kansas women of color. Research has already begun on the project, which is called Wak'o Mujeres Phu nu Women Mural (Kanza, Spanish, Vietnamese, English): Stories of Kansan Women of Color.
"If no one's going to collect and write our history, then time will pass and we will be forgotten," Fitzpatrick said.
Fitzpatrick teamed up with Marylin Hinojosa, a fellow Lawrence artist. Fitzpatrick and Hinojosa will serve as the lead artists and will select 20 women of color to be part of the mural's design team.
Connie Fiorella Fitzpatrick Lawrence artist
We want it to be a city wall, not a private wall, to be truly part of the community. the wall is very important."
website says.
"The importance of a team of brown and black hands creating this public mural and projectwebsite about women who look like them is important, as it shows a truer representation of diverse skins, shapes, and existence as women of color," the project's
The artists have a few options for where the mural will be, but they are hoping to create it at the Lawrence Public Library.
"We want it to be a city wall, not a private wall," Fitzpatrick said. "To be truly part of the community, the wall is very important."
Ideally, the mural would be a permanent fixture in the Lawrence community.
In addition to the mural, Fitzpatrick and Hinojosa will create a website documenting the stories they manage to uncover: Every recorded interview will be archived for future generations.
Mentoring the artists are Imani A. Wadud, a doctoral student in the University's Department of American Studies, and Nedra Bonds, a Kansas City activist. Wadud and Bonds are assisting with research - the technical side, Wadud said.
"We really need people to show up [for this project]," Wadud said. "It'll show that it's important, that citizens are invested, that there are people in the community — regardless of status — who think it's important."
The project was recently awarded a Rocket Grant, which supports "encouraging and supporting innovative, under-the-
radar and public-facing work in non-traditional spaces." The grant, launched by the Charlotte Street Foundation and the Spencer Museum of Art, is funded by the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts.
Right now, the team of artists is looking for stories to include in their project. Any women of color hoping to get involved in the project can learn more from the project's Facebook page or by contacting wocmural.ks@gmail.com.
MORE ON ROCKET GRANT AWARD
page 7
Robertson said, shows the need for a community like this one.
The work group, spear-
"We've talked about it over the years but never had a sense that there was a particular interest or need yet. When it began to percolate from the students, before it was mostly our staff wondering if we should do it." Robertson said. "Finally it was our students saying, 'Hello, we want this,' and that's when we're going to act on it."
"Having a single room was cool, but it did suck that I missed the opportunity to live with a roommate all because I couldn't find someone who was open-minded," Wantling said. "Especially because once I got to KU I met a lot of open-minded people that said, 'Oh, I would have lived with you had I
year. Waiting a year in Student Housing was a good one spent in a single room at GSP, she said, but getting there wasn't easy.
The creation of the GIH wing, Robertson said, is one step toward removing hurdles like those faced by students
"I had a lot of people turn me down just because of my sexuality," Wantling said. "I had one girl who said, 'My mom doesn't want me to live with anyone that's gay,' and another one that was like, 'Well, my boyfriend might have a problem with that.'"
SEEDORM PAGE 2
MCKENNA HARFORD
@McKennaHarford
Editor's Note: This story is the third in a series of stories looking at the way concealed carry on campus will look once it goes into effect July 1.
Each new semester brings a new round of syllabuses, but this semester professors will include a new added section of information that addresses concealed
carry on campus. As the University prepares to shift to an environment where students are legally allowed to bring concealed handguns to class, this will be just one of many preparations.
In response to the arrival of concealed weapons on July 1 as a result of a 2013 state law, professors are taking steps to adjust their teaching style, class content, office hours or even seeking employment elsewhere.
Aerospace engineering professor Ron Barrett Gonzalez, president of the Kansas chapter of the American Association of University Professors, said this is because many faculty members are concerned that concealed carry will have a chilling effect in classrooms.
"I know a nontrivial number of faculty members who are changing their syllabus.
INDEX
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NEWS...2
OPINION...3
ARTS & CULTURE...4
SPORTS...6
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