October 23, 2020 — Marquette University will soon have a new mural on campus celebrating diversity. Artist Mauricio Ramirez’s “Our Roots Say That We’re Sisters” was selected by the Marquette community after a vote. The new mural is being installed on the north-facing facade of Marquette’s Varsity Theater/Holthusen Hall building.
Artist Mauricio Ramirez on the lift, with the mural in progress
A Marquette University Mural Committee comprised of representatives from Marquette University Student Government and Marquette’s Executive Leadership Team, the Haggerty Museum of Art Student Advisory Committee, the Black Student Council, the Educational Opportunity Program, the Cultural Audit sub-group of Marquette’s Equity and Inclusion Committee, the Haggerty Museum of Art, and University Advancement invited seven local Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) male and female artists to submit proposals for a new mural. All Marquette University students, faculty, and staff were invited to cast online votes between September 7-11 for one of the three artist proposals. Nearly 1,400 members of the Marquette community voted, and Ramirez’s proposal received 63% of the votes.
Subsequent listening sessions with the artist and Marquette community members were conducted to further refine the collective vision for the project.
“We have been extremely pleased with the reception of this project since it was announced, as the participation by the campus community has been tremendous,” said Dr. William Welburn, vice president for inclusive excellence. “This mural will serve as a starting point for a program which will bring in a diverse range of artists to contribute to Marquette’s physical campus environment. Mr. Ramirez’s concept, as was the case with each of the proposals we received, will beautifully showcase the diversity, richness and complexity of our community and reflect our current cultural moment.” [Source: Marquette University]