Craft Alliance Mural Program: 2003-2004
Yeatman-Liddell Middle School

Yeatman-Liddell Middle Community Education Center opened in 1967. The school is located in the northern section of St. Louis, more specifically in the Penrose and O’Fallon neighborhood. The 425 students have the opportunity to participate in academic, athletic, and other character building classes and activities. Yeatman-Liddell is committed to improving the lives of the students and the community.

"This is where success is the only option." – Georgia Bland, Principal

Yeatman-Liddell stands as an educational support base and steward to the Penrose and O’Fallon neighborhoods. Drawn from these neighborhoods, the Yeatman-Liddell student body is fully immersed in the community’s resources, enriched by the unique insights the community offers, and are fully exposed to the pressures of the environment in which they live. The collaborative aimed to explore the socio-political and environmental concerns of the Yeatman-Liddell student body. Their actions and reactions within and toward their environment/community, when guided, became pointed, relevant, and full of purpose.

Kujichagulia, a creative writing seminar, was held to break ground and construct the mental architecture pertinent to the success of the Mural Arts Program. Creative Writer Wilma Potts envisioned and facilitated the seminar in collaboration with Mrs. Rose King and her 8th grade social studies students.

Students fabricated responses to athletic and literary giants such as Langston Hughes, Muhammad Ali, Gwendolyn Brooks and Nikki Giovanni.

The seminar created a unique opportunity for the students to pen autobiographical insights as they mindfully interpreted the concept of Kujichagulia, a Kiswahili word and the second principle of Kwanza.

The collection of their works signified the student’s self-determination to: define themselves, name themselves, create for themselves and speak for themselves instead of being defined, named, created and spoken for by others. Their works also provided an insightful waking to the community in which the students of Yeatman-Liddell live and learn.

The creative writing seminar turned pivotal when the participating students presented their writings to the 6th, 7th, and 8th grade Honors Art classes, challenging them with the unique task of interpreting the precursory writings and describe the collective experience of nearly 200 Yeatman-Liddell students. An entire design process was addressed from creation, to craft and critique, and finally public presentation. The mural, as a final work of public art communicates a keen, universal concept: life rarely stops so you can figure it out, or as one eighth grader mused, "It gets bumpy, but you will eventually get on track."

Hungry Rhythm: Dedicated 05.27.04

“We are beautiful, tough, sharp as a knife
We think, we tight, we work, we smile, we erupt!
We are concerned, wild, fantastic and powerful
We are crazy proud
We are fire
We are off the chain
We play football, basketball, pranks and chess
We eat music and breathe poetry
We have hungry rhythm”