Wheelhouse Studios Collaboration with Go Big Read and the Business School
Students screen print their designs at Wheelhouse Studios.
Freshman Business students stepped outside the comforts of Grainger Hall and into the artistic community of Wheelhouse Studios on October 12th and 13th. The students screenprinted poster designs based on this year’s Go Big Read book, Just Mercy.
Jay Ekleberry, Director of Wheelhouse Studios, is the brain behind this collaboration. “Hopefully, in the process of the students co-creating posters, it really helps them process the book in new and different ways.”
As part of their General Business course curriculum, students identified three major themes of the book: leadership, humility and mental illness. In 12 small groups, they designed posters based on these key themes.
Three of the 12 poster designs made at Wheelhouse Studios.
Angela Richardson, Aesthetics and Business Project Coordinator for the Business School, wanted students to discuss the book’s social justice issues in a new way. “It’s an opportunity for them to engage with some intense, holysmokes, makes you cry stuff, in a way that’s not oh hey, write another paper or give another speech.”
When it comes to the business aspect of the course, Angela said, “it’s just like a marketing or branding exercise you would be called on to do. ‘Here, take the book. Distill it down. What’s the main idea you need to get across and sell to your audience?”
After designing their posters by hand or digitally, students came to Wheelhouse Studios during their weekly section time. While taking turns printing their poster designs, students also made journals for the Books for Prisoners Project.
Direct Admission Business Students create journals for the Books for Prisoners Project.
“Art becomes the vehicle through which we are having this discussion about really big ideas,” Angela said.
The collection of 12 posters will be on display in Grainger Hall and in Gordon Dining Hall’s gallery space. Another set will be given to the Chancellor, who supported this collaboration through the donation of supplies and materials.
In the future, Jay hopes to collaborate with other classes that are incorporating Go Big Read’s book into their curriculum.
Angela and her students will be presenting the set of 12 posters to the author, Bryan Stevenson, at his talk on October 26th, 7:00 p.m. in Varsity Hall of Union South.
