All different, all equal

Gateway Learning Community Trust

Our student activist involved art project based on the theme ‘all different: all equal’ is underway across The Gateway Learning Community and is being supported by the artist Eve Wright.
A year 9 student shared their feedback with us on the ‘All Different: All equal’ project:

At the start of this project, we had time to think about the theme:

‘All Different: All Equal’

The plan is to create different pieces of work that link to the theme, we all had to produce our own ideas in the first session and then presented them to the group and chose the theme we would exhibit. The main idea behind the project is to show that no matter where you come from, what your identity or sexuality is, your ethnicity, religion or if you have a disability or not, we are all equal and deserve to be respected and feel loved. We are all human and we shouldn’t have to feel insecure or bullied for who we are or have to feel ashamed for it.

When I first heard of the theme I had a lot to say as someone who is a bisexual nonbinary teenager (using the name River and the pronouns they/them). This topic/theme is very personal since I have had to deal with homophobia and transphobia whilst going through different labels to figure out who I am and my identity. Having an opportunity to do an art project on this theme, knowing so many people will see it and with some people even relating to it is such an honour which I am very grateful for.

Below are examples of work that the students have produced to date:

 

The Arts Department have also weaved Eve Wright into their equality curriculum strand and one student, in particular, Jake Bowen, picked Eve as his artist to research. He was so grateful to meet his chosen artist on site this week and have the opportunity to discuss his work.

EVE WRIGHT, a multi-disciplinary
visual installation artist, challenges public environments to make spaces for Black British stories to exist and thrive. He creates mirrors where he can see and recognise himself to instigate conversations in the mainstream about what it means to be Black and British in the UK today.