Concept & Purpose

After seeing the transformational effects of projects by an artist known as JR (TED Prize Winner, 2008), in communities around the world, I wanted to see if we might have a similar impact on our campus – that is, encourage people to think differently about their fellow peers in a more, inclusive and constructive way. 

When it came to choosing the subjects for our project, we wanted to make sure we represented the full range of unique people on campus - not just ethnically, but also individual interests and passions. 

My Role / Execution

… and that’s what we did.

My Team and I soon realized we couldn’t do this alone. We needed to get more hands on deck if this thing was going to happen. 

After Skyping with JR's Team, persuading the provost to let us paste a giant poster directly on school property, and gathering a larger team of 20+ people from all over campus, we were well on our way to completing the first phase of this project. 

At last, after a full semester filled with trial and error, long nights at Kinko's, and a lot of caffeine - the pasting, website, and documentary detailing the project were up and running. 

Results

JR's team promoted our project as a highlight on their official Facebook page dubbing us an "impressive group" (YAY). 

A common response among students and faculty: "Nothing like this has ever been done before." 

Within weeks of the project's release, our Facebook page received nearly 6,000 organic views from people in 35 countries and our documentary has been viewed 20,000+ times. 

...What was initially a fun, community driven side project, turned out to be far more successful than we could have imagined. 

 
 
A blank slate

A blank slate

 
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A look back on Spring 2013 at Wake Forest University, and a hope for the future. A project by Lindsay Hudson Ortyn, Kovi Konowiecki, and Sean Wilkinson. A film by Sean Wilkinson. Narrated by Lindsay Hudson Ortyn. Written by Lindsay Hudson Ortyn, Kovi Konowiecki, and Sean Wilkinson.