A High School Artist Was Chosen To Paint A Mural. Then Came The Outrage.
' A student said she created the piece to make kids “feel welcome.” Some parents in Grant, Michigan, wanted the painting removed. '
By Rachel Abrahamson
Article / Archive [ https://archive.ph/wu8EI ]
A mural at Grant Middle School in Michigan is sparking controversy.
Courtesy Chandler Morris
A mural painted by a high school student came under fire when parents alleged it was promoting LGBTQ imagery and witchcraft.
Earlier this year, a Grant, Michigan, high school sophomore won a contest “to brighten up” the middle school health center, according to a statement from Grant Public Schools (GPS). GPS says the student received approval to paint images of “smiling children” and as well as the message “Stay Healthy.”
In the painting, there are three children. A boy is seen in a light blue, pink and white T-shirt, the colors of the transgender Pride flag. A girl wears pink, royal blue and purple, the colors of the bisexual flag. And a second girl is in rainbow Pride colors.
GPS Superintendent Brett Zuver was a contest judge. He did not respond to an email asking if he understood the meaning of the colors when the student’s design was chosen as the winner. GPS said the final mural included “some features” that were not part of the agreement, including a demon face inspired by a popular video game called Genshin Impact, and a “Hamsa hand,” also known as the Hand of Fatima or Hand of Mary. The palm-shaped design has been a symbol for good luck or protection for centuries in many cultures, including Latin American.
At a school board meeting on Oct. 10, parents accused the student artist of promoting witchcraft by including the Hamsa hand as well as the video game character that bears the likeness of a demon. Parents also objected to the use of LGBTQ colors.
“I put my art up there to make people feel welcome,” the student artist said, her voice breaking, in footage captured at the meeting by WZZM-TV [A], a local news station based in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
One man at the meeting called the mural “hate material.”
Another adult at the meeting said, “I feel like (she) did a really good job finding excuses to defend the things you put on. None of us are that stupid.”
Tracey Hargreaves, a friend of the student artist's family, shared a photo of the original design for the mural.
Courtesy Chandler Morris
Tracey Hargreaves, who has two children in the Grant Public School system, came to the defense of the student artist.
“I am a conservative, right-wing, gun-loving American,” Hargreaves declared at the meeting. “And I’ve never seen more bigoted people in my life.”
In an interview with TODAY.com, Hargreaves said, “The meeting turned into a hate fest. Usually there are 10 people at these meetings, 50 showed up. It wasn’t even about the mural ... People were talking about how we need to pray the gay away.”
I'm conflicted, tbh. Yeah the art's a bit shit, but I feel like the parents getting THIS bitchy over a "witchcraft" Hamsa is fucking stupid. Michiganders can't do nothin' right, I swear.
(Did laugh at the ol' "pray the gay away" though. That's some vintage-flavored based-ness.)
' A student said she created the piece to make kids “feel welcome.” Some parents in Grant, Michigan, wanted the painting removed. '
By Rachel Abrahamson
Article / Archive [ https://archive.ph/wu8EI ]
A mural at Grant Middle School in Michigan is sparking controversy.
Courtesy Chandler Morris
A mural painted by a high school student came under fire when parents alleged it was promoting LGBTQ imagery and witchcraft.
Earlier this year, a Grant, Michigan, high school sophomore won a contest “to brighten up” the middle school health center, according to a statement from Grant Public Schools (GPS). GPS says the student received approval to paint images of “smiling children” and as well as the message “Stay Healthy.”
In the painting, there are three children. A boy is seen in a light blue, pink and white T-shirt, the colors of the transgender Pride flag. A girl wears pink, royal blue and purple, the colors of the bisexual flag. And a second girl is in rainbow Pride colors.
GPS Superintendent Brett Zuver was a contest judge. He did not respond to an email asking if he understood the meaning of the colors when the student’s design was chosen as the winner. GPS said the final mural included “some features” that were not part of the agreement, including a demon face inspired by a popular video game called Genshin Impact, and a “Hamsa hand,” also known as the Hand of Fatima or Hand of Mary. The palm-shaped design has been a symbol for good luck or protection for centuries in many cultures, including Latin American.
At a school board meeting on Oct. 10, parents accused the student artist of promoting witchcraft by including the Hamsa hand as well as the video game character that bears the likeness of a demon. Parents also objected to the use of LGBTQ colors.
“I put my art up there to make people feel welcome,” the student artist said, her voice breaking, in footage captured at the meeting by WZZM-TV [A], a local news station based in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
One man at the meeting called the mural “hate material.”
Another adult at the meeting said, “I feel like (she) did a really good job finding excuses to defend the things you put on. None of us are that stupid.”
Tracey Hargreaves, a friend of the student artist's family, shared a photo of the original design for the mural.
Courtesy Chandler Morris
Tracey Hargreaves, who has two children in the Grant Public School system, came to the defense of the student artist.
“I am a conservative, right-wing, gun-loving American,” Hargreaves declared at the meeting. “And I’ve never seen more bigoted people in my life.”
In an interview with TODAY.com, Hargreaves said, “The meeting turned into a hate fest. Usually there are 10 people at these meetings, 50 showed up. It wasn’t even about the mural ... People were talking about how we need to pray the gay away.”
I'm conflicted, tbh. Yeah the art's a bit shit, but I feel like the parents getting THIS bitchy over a "witchcraft" Hamsa is fucking stupid. Michiganders can't do nothin' right, I swear.
(Did laugh at the ol' "pray the gay away" though. That's some vintage-flavored based-ness.)
