The Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration event theme for 2021 – “Where do we go from here: Chaos or Community?” – was inspired by Dr. King’s prophetic book of the same name, written in 1967, a year before his 1968 assassination. In the book, Dr. King reflects on the progress of a decade of Civil Rights efforts at a pivotal moment in history. The book carries forward the themes of Wisdom, Courage, and Power. Today, finding ourselves at another hinge moment in history, we must make a choice between the chaos of the present or working toward a brighter future with peace and justice for all. Do we have the Wisdom, Courage, and Power to do the work to reach the Beloved Community of Dr. King’s vision?
Virginia High School
Anisia Daggs Senior
Title of Work One Day There Will Be Peace Medium Paint & Pencil Artist Statement My piece is to represent some of the stuff that has been going on within my community, and I just want there to be peace, and everybody should be equal, and it’s not fair that every race is treated differently, especially the black race.
Alyssa Leonard Junior
Title of Work The Foundations of a Free and Equal World Medium Acrylics & pencil Artist Statement The world is cruel and unfair, leaving people feeling hopeless. We are left being super critical about everything; sometimes forgetting important words from people who have fought for equality and justice. We cannot forget the words that have been used as stepping stones. We must continue to add to them to help make a better and safer world.
Abigail Leonard Senior
Title of Work Dream Medium Multimedia with acrylic paint Artist Statement Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream, and throughout his lifetime, he was able to bring awareness and fight for equal rights. He was a peaceful leader during a troubling time, and we can see that effect on our community with the articles shown. Similar to real life, the good deeds, peaceful protests, and positive contributions by MLK were often dismissed; therefore, in the artwork there is a theme of “covering up” his accomplishments and highlighting the tragic events. I believe that with tragedy and through chaos, we are able to find our community.
Annie Lee Junior
Title or Work Equality Medium Pencil & colored pencil Artist Statement My motivation for this art piece was to show that everyone’s equal. I put the letters in color to show everyone’s differences no matter your color or who you are on the inside. I put the man and woman’s hand to show that men and women are equal too. This whole piece is about equality and that everyone should have the same rights.
Audrey Tragler Junior
Title of Work Where Do We Go from Here? Medium Colored pencil Artist Statement I was inspired by what all Martin Luther King, Jr. had done in his lifetime. He was so strong and courageous. He also stood up for all those who didn't have a voice.
Belicia Calzada Senior
Title of Work Lady Justice Medium Watercolor & pencils Artist Statement The woman in the art is justice herself. Echoing the themes of MLK's speeches, she symbolizes how people of color need justice and need to be equal instead of being hurt by the system and hate crimes. The background shows how the past is dark, but the future is bright, and even though it will take one action at a time, we will be there one day.
Brady Klumpp Senior
Title of Work What’s Next Medium Acrylic & graphite Artist Statement I chose to draw this piece because I felt like it portrayed society in America 2020 very well with the theme. How would Mr. King react to how our people acted in the last few years? I think he would be disappointed and mortified. So, what’s next? There is community found in the chaos.
Camden Jones Senior
Title of Work A Voice That Lives on Forever Medium Pencil & watercolor Artist Statement Martin Luther King Jr. made such a big impact on the lives of black people and fought for their freedom every time he got behind a microphone. He fought with his words, and never with violence. When I think of him, I think of all the lives he has changed just by his words, and the fact that he never gave up striving for equality. His words changed so many people's lives and we still remember them today. They will live on forever and continue to help change America for the better.
Charley McKemy Senior
Title of Work He Has a Dream Medium Autodesk sketchbook pro/digital art Artist Statement I decided to put Martin Luther King at some of his stages in life to symbolize that he was just like everyone else. Everyone has the power to make a change.
Kelly Locke Senior
Title of Work MLK and the Lives He Touched Medium Gouache Artist Statement I wanted to create a piece that highlighted Martin Luther King and his bold personality, but also showed the huge impact he made on people. I added the faces of all different colors behind him and connected them to one another to show that he truly helped unite humanity.
Maria Wilson Junior
Title of Work Your Choice Medium Colored Pencil Artist Statement Nowadays there is so much controversy and pointing fingers at one another. Each person has a choice to decide the fate of chaos or community.
Tennessee High School
Jenna Epperson Senior
Title of Work To The Flag, For Which It Stands Medium Collage, mixed media Artist Statement The flag represents freedom and his words on the flag represent him wanting change; the chaos theme comes in when you see the lines in the flag being not completely straight and the stars being messy.
Ella-marie Finch Freshman
Title of Work Maybe This Time Medium Collage Artist Statement I really wanted to create something that captures a sense of unity and freedom. I felt like the book was good about representing the fact that we can write our own story, and the hands holding it were all working together even though they may have differences.
Gabby Sparger Senior
Title of Work One Nation Medium Marker & crayon Artist Statement Without Martin Luther King Jr, the changes needed to be made wouldn't have happened. I think it’s important to remember the brotherhood he made happen and the peace that came with it.
Isabella Stiltner Senior
Title of Work Chaos Hasn’t Won Medium Painting Artist Statement I wanted to incorporate a broad color scheme into my art work, so I have decided to use reds and oranges to represent the chaos and the blue and green to represent the community. I also used a quote from MLK Jr. that represents how people can come together to spread their message amongst the chaos.
Daniel Ramirez Senior
Title of Work The Lion King Medium Pencil Artist Statement This drawing of a lion represents all of the features for a great leader; the mane of the lion grows bigger with age leading to wisdom and where there is wisdom there is power; when those two are combined you have one courageous leader.
Brandon Slaughter Senior
Title of Work If the Dream Dies Medium Oil paint on cardboard Artist’s Statement Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream for us all to get along as equals, but if the dream dies, we will all be separated. In my painting, I wanted to depict the fragility of life amidst a world where everyone is on their own.
Matteline Tipton Junior
Title of Work Light in the Darkness Medium Chalk Pastel Artist Statement The reason for my motivation is that I've always seen moths looking for the light in the darkness outside. It represents hope in a way: when there are problems of any kind, it’s usually a darker feeling, but in the end there is always the light. The light represents hope and prosperity into being a better sense of peace.
Jessica Rogers Senior
Title of Work Community over Chaos Medium Oil Paint Artist Statement When I thought of the theme community over chaos, I thought of two hands coming together and the community hand pulling the chaos out of darkness. The minimalist faces on the hand represent the community, and the dark hand is being tied down by hate.
Joel Sluder Senior
Title of Work Re-unite Medium Pencil Artist Statement You see how divided we are today in this country. But we just need to stop hating each other and start loving one another.
Julia Slagle Senior
Title of Work Restoring Unity Medium Pencil & Colored Pencil Artist Statement I was inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement fist symbol, so I used hands holding as a way to express unity. The fading of black and white to colorful represents the dull darkness of hate and racism becoming something beautiful: love and equality.
Laiken Lane Junior
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