People can work together toward a common goal in social justice, understanding and respecting one another and learning about different values and cultures. People come together in schools and communities to express their feelings about inequality, injustice and oppression in a public place. The most common use of art in a public place is the MURAL.

MURALS are large pictures or images that are painted directly on to a wall, interior or exterior, like the side of a building.

Artists throughout history have used murals to tell mythical stories and record history, by sharing those ideas and visual records on a very large scale in religious architecture and government buildings. Diego Rivera was one of the most famous Mexican artists of the twentieth century, who used murals to tell the history of his country. He focused on the struggles of the indigenous peoples of Mexico and the fight for equality of all peoples. (Look at LINKS)

The practical problem solving of making a mural requires both visual creativity and mathematical skills.

How is math used in making murals for social justice?

  •  Murals usually begin on a small scale and the final work is completed on a much larger scale.  The entire scaling process is completely mathematical. 
  • The social justice aspect is represented on the mural itself.  Murals are used to publicly voice the opinions of people or to express concerns. 

What connections do murals/art have with mathematics?

  • The entire process of scaling either a small piece of artwork to make it larger or vice versa is very mathematical
  • Very basic arithematic is the core of scaling. 
  • When encountering difficulties, problem solving skills will be put to use to navigate through obstacles.
  • Refer to Scale Drawing and Dinosaur Project to learn a basic approach to scaling and a possible outcome when students work together. http://regentsprep.org/Regents/math/math-topic.cfm?TopicCode=scale

Where does art come into play?

  • Murals are a specific form of art which can be used to communicate ideas.
  • Personalization and creativity of each individual mural is art in itself.

Art & Math: The Dynamic Duo

Together, this combination creates a powerful dynamic.  One which can shed light on social injustices and can break through barriers.  The process of creating socially aware murals would allow students of different backgrounds to work together for a common goal.  Murals require cooperation from individuals and the whole community.