Wall of Respect, 2016

The Wall of Respect was an iconic mural created in 1967 on a townhouse in the Southside of Chicago. The mural depicted African American community leaders and artists who were involved in the fight for civil rights.

A collaboration between the ICA and Mural Arts Philadelphia, this mural is a contemporary spin on the original wall, reimagined through the eyes of artist Willis Humphrey and students at Olney Charter High School. Students selected past and present figures that they thought worthy of being memorialized, then painted and installed portraits of Janelle Monae, Kevin Hart, and Alicia Keys. The mural also features Malcolm X, Cornbread, and Michelle Obama. The mural links the intergenerational, multi-disciplinary fight for social justice and celebrates a diverse range of its contemporary figures. The mural is painted in a style evocative of some of the artists featured in the Freedom Principle: Experiments in Art and Music, 1965 to Now, which is on exhibit at ICA from September 19, 2016 through March 19, 2017.

Location Note: Mural no longer on view at this location (temporary project).