Created by University of Maryland (UMD) and Bowie State University (BSU) students and faculty following the murder of Lt. Richard Collins III, the Unity Mural was conceived to take a stand against racism and violence, reflecting upon themes of unity, peace and justice. 

The mural’s creative process was a collaboration that took place over several months. Through a series of virtual meetings, students in BSU Professor Gina Lewis’s “New Media: Installation & Public Art” class and UMD Clinical Associate Professor Margaret Walker’s “Foundations of Art Education” classes worked together to design and outline the piece. 

During The Clarice’s 2017 NextNOW Fest at the University of Maryland, attendees were invited to contribute their creative energy to the mural with the hope that community building and healing through art and creative expression could foster relationships across the campuses. Over 250 students and community members took part in hand-painting its four panels. 

The process was documented from conception to community participation through photography, a website and a documentary film by students in a photojournalism class led by BSU Assistant Professor Jennifer White-Johnson. This collaboration sparked dialogue and a community call to action.

Since 2017, the mural has traveled to the Maryland House of Delegates’ House Office Building in Annapolis, as well as the Fine and Performing Arts Center and Student Center at BSU, McKeldin Library at UMD, and the Marietta House Museum, and currently hangs in The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center. The Unity Mural will be touring several branches of the Prince George’s Memorial Library System later in 2022 and will eventually find its permanent home on the campus of Bowie State University.

The Unity Mural design has been incorporated into UMD’s new Collins Plaza created to honor the life and legacy of Lt. Richard Collins III.

For your safety, we strongly encourage but will not require FestGoers to follow the UMD Athletics bag policy for events at The Clarice. All bags will be searched by security personnel upon festival entry, and FestGoers who travel light will be able to enter the festival more quickly and easily. Only empty water bottles will be permitted; there will be free water stations and opportunities to purchase beverages inside the festival.

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This event is part of NextNOW Fest 2022. NextNOW Fest is a signature event in University of Maryland's Arts for All initiative, which leverages the combined power of the arts, technology and social justice to address the grand challenges of our time. In addition to the festival's student, academic and touring artists lineup at The Clarice, NextNOW Fest will continue partnerships with student-led groups, academic departments and community organizations to hold the festival at sites throughout campus and into College Park!

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