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Student Art Evokes Frustration, Sorrow and Hope in a Nation of Guns

Seven works honored in the Sadat Art for Justice and Peace competition

A mass of 321 bullet casings tightly arranged in the shape of the United States—representing the average number of people shot each day in this country—was among the winning entries in this year’s University of Maryland Sadat Art for Justice and Peace Competition.

“Neverending,” by art major Mary Mena ’24, was recognized Friday alongside student works of smudged acrylic, etched steel and digital art depicting the toll of gun violence.

"This year's theme, ‘Victims of Gun Violence,’ is one that haunts our entire nation and has been prioritized by our university,” said Shibley Telhami, Anwar Sadat Professor for Peace and Development and founding director of the program. “We already address this issue in our research and in our ongoing public opinion polling, but artists speak powerfully about issues of social justice through their visual representation.”

Hosted jointly since 1998 by the Anwar Sadat Chair for Peace and Development and the Department of Art, the competition challenges students from UMD’s Department of Art to conceive two- and three-dimensional pieces that evoke peace and reconciliation around a contemporary theme. The competition is now held in coordination with the university’s Arts for All Initiative, which develops new and reimagined curricular and experiential offerings that nurture different ways of thinking to spark dialogue, understanding, problem-solving and action.

In past years, student artists have offered powerful statements around Islamophobia, the Black Lives Matter movement, 9/11 and the refugee crisis, with winning artworks presented to Sadat lecturers including Nelson Mandela, Kofi Anan and the Dalai Lama.

The 2023 jury included Telhami; Sylvia Pines, wife of university president Darryll J. Pines; Katherine Wilkens Van Hollen, wife of U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland; Annette Aburdene and Suava Salameh, sponsors of the Sadat Art for Peace Program; Department of Art Chair Brandon Morse; art Professor Cy Keener; and Dana Priest, John S. and James L. Knight Chair in Public Affairs.

Learn more about other competition winners in Maggie Haslam's article for Maryland Today

Main photo is of “Neverending” by art major Mary Mena ’24, which won first place in the wall-hanging art category. 

 

Published on Wed, Mar 29, 2023 - 4:45PM

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