“We Belong”: Wingra Schools unveils new artwork created by Desere Mayo and Wingra students

Wingra School, an independent progressive school that serves students between 5-14 years old on Madison’s near west side, unveiled new artwork in a joint project between a local Black artist and Wingra students on Aug. 23. The artwork was envisioned and created by Desere Mayo who looked to find a project to bring students together and push the importance of community and identity.

“They get to walk past this every time in the hallways and know that they belong,” Mayo said. “It was very fun because they’re putting who they are inside. I didn’t know there were kids from Israel. I didn’t know the different flags they put in… it was all learning about the kids.”

The artwork sits centrally located in the school near the entrance. Every day, students walk past the project they all worked on together over the past school year.

The piece encompasses silhouettes from pictures taken of them. Silhouettes were then filled with what make up students’ identities — from flags from countries they’re from, sports they like, hobbies and many other things that make them who they are — and pieced together to form the words “We Belong.”

Around 150 students worked together to bring it all together onto a banner that now proudly hangs in their school. The banner is vinyl and waterproof — or “kid-proof,” Mayo joked.

Four additional artworks (below) were created by Mayo to be displayed around the school.

“Because she’s such a talented artist, we also wanted to have some of her work in our classrooms. So she took photos that we gave her of the school,” said Torsie Judkins, head of Wingra School.

The first reads “Be Inspired” with a teacher reading to a child which will hang in front of the school. The second is a rendition created by Mayo of Judkins’ favorite picture of two children playing together that will be put up in its nest area. A piece of a girl playing violin will be placed in the music room and another of someone drawing a butterfly pollinating a flower will sit in the art room.