CoLAMagazine_June2018_WebEdition

Making Art with a Purpose:
Spencer Evans (pictured in both far right photos, center) conducts press conference and unveils mural (above) at Sudan University.
The U.S. Embassy in Khartoum,
Sudan and a non-profit organization
called Make Art With
Purpose commissioned Spencer Evans,
Artist and Master of Fine Arts
(MFA) Graduate Teaching Assistant
(GTA) in the Art and Art History
Department to design and construct
a mural at Sudan University. The
mural was an embassy initiative to
connect the ideas associated with
the American Civil Rights Movement
with efforts toward social
justice and conflict resolution in
Sudan.
Evans, who was in Sudan for 7
days, took only three days to construct
the 12 foot by 40 foot mural
on the East side of Sudan University’s
College of Fine and Applied
Arts printmaking building. Evans
described how he decided on most
of the formal elements and symbols
after discussing key themes and
messages he wanted to portray in
the piece. The 11 Sudanese students
who helped him assisted with base
elements in the construction of the
piece. Evans said, “I drew the draft
in my sketchbook, and the students
approved. I then drew it on the
wall and delegated where the colors
would go.” The collaboration and
unified effort was apparent during
every step of the project. Evans
continued, “Six of the students were
displaced from the conflict in Darfur,
so we literally were connecting
different tribes by working together
on the project.” Evans combined
his initial inspiration gained from
conversations he had in Khartoum
and combined those concepts with
his knowledge of the U.S. civil rights
movement. He mentioned that
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