WBS

WBS Project

Writers in Baltimore Schools 2020 Project Posters for Poems

2020 Digital Drawing 073

Writers in Baltimore Schools 2020 project is a collaboration project with high school students. The process of the whole workshop just be executed as commercial projects: Research, sketches, final, revision, jury.

The most exciting part was visiting Baltimore Sun newspaper. We saw the physical archives about the history of Baltimore. I was stunning by the huge amount of clips of news, and some of them could dateback before WWII.

fig.61.1-10 Pictures in Baltimore Sun, Kim and teacher from Baltimore writing school.

fig.62 Poster for Who Do You Want to be?

Who do you want to be?

By Madyson Bassett Grade 9, Western High School

I want to be a bird Sitting on the branch of a tree. Listening intently to what everyone says. I want to be both the sunrise and sunset. The ones you stay up for just to watch. I want to have the same color scheme as it. I want to be the listener of thoughts. I want to be a surprise, So no one sees me coming.

I want to be the melody trapped in your mind. Floating in the air as you hum the tune. I want to be the movie That you stay up all night watching. I want to be a book so I can be Smart. I wish to be a diamond. Shiny and new, Something no one’s ever touched. Pure, In a box, With people guarding it. Leaving it to be left alone, Forever.

fig.63 Poster for Epidemic

Epidemic

By Madison Hall Grade 12, Bard High School Early College

Existing. They are here, but why? Teenagers with their bottles of window cleaner I have so many questions leafing Through old yellowed clips Standing shoulder to shoulder in A warm room. It Feels like history, but the pieces are missing The questions there and the answers Mixing with soapy water, tossed out at the end of the day

The news says one thing Patrols try to deter aggressive panhandling, After several incidentsA squeegee crackdown. But there remains a city divided Forced to confront Baltimore’s poverty on their way to work Called low intensity extortion or an entrepreneurial spirit But they’re still here and draw a heart on a driver’s windshield.

They exist. They are here, But where in history? How can they just appear on the intersections like cabbage patch children out of intersections Like roses out of concrete

Is that why they were missing from the pages? Expectations too high that they could get theirs Because someone deemed them Menace to society and unworthy as They exist in pursuit of spare change If we could make change to spare. Why are they missing they’re history? There’s plenty of fault to go around.

I personally love the first poem so much. If the pandemic wasn’t happening, I should make friends with her and meet in person. I can feel such a delicate, sensitive soul through her poem.

In What Do You Want to be?, there are various imageries in the text. The emotion of the poem is hard to define, which is a combination of sad, loneliness and hope to be loved. That’s why I didn’t depict any imagery in the poem, I made up a fictional scene where two people can’t see each other, and they are expecting and hesitating to be touched.

Although it wasn’t selected as the final poster for this poem, I like it very much.

fig.64 Poster on billboard The Epidemic was picked as the final poster. I appreciate this collaboration giving me a chance to know “squeegee boys” more. I also learned a lot from my classmate Xi. she did further research such as rap music, documentaries, current news about squeegee boys in Baltimore.

I combined the clock and windshield together, trying to question the existence of these people.

fig.65 Sketches in the middle stage.

fig.66.1-2 First sketches.