April 27 – November 9, 2019
Revolution Starts in the Streets is a temporary public art installation on the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library campus. The mission of the project is to promote a community conversation around the fall of communism in Europe in 1989 while connecting the conversation to what issues the public may find relevant today. A common theme in revolution is the presence of art, and artists who use their talent to speak out against cruelty. Often these artists under communism were brutally punished by their governments for their acts of protest. Revolution Starts in the Streets is our effort to educate the public on the above issues and encourage them to take a more active role in contemporary discussions around injustice. Furthermore, we hope to empower the public to think of themselves as artists who can make a difference in our world.
We will do so by building a Berlin Wall replica on the museum campus. This wall will serve as a collaborative public art space. We will also host six street artists – several of whom have participated in current and past revolutions. They will host public street art workshops on the wall and give public lectures about their experiences in art and revolution. Check back regularly to stay up to date on these public programs.
Revolution Starts in the Streets was marketed by Iowa BIG, another local project-based learning initiative. Iowa BIG students learned design, art, and history, as well as practical marketing tactics through the school year as they worked on Revolution Starts in the Streets.
The Berlin Wall is being constructed by Metro High School as a project-based learning initiative in their Metro STEAM Academy. This work would not be possible, nor would the project be as fulfilling for the students, without the community partners who have all been incredibly generous with their time and resources.
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This sounds like a great exhibit. We have an actual chunk of the Berlin Wall from when my husband served in the Army Reserves.
I taught EFL in Prague in 1996. Friends and CZ colleagues were forthcoming about the post-Soviet transition. I will be in Iowa July 8-18. Please send information on talks, events during that time! The museum is wonderful–I visited the Munch exhibit a few years ago.