A piece of public artwork such as a mural has the potential to engage all passersby, involving the entire Pratt community from students and faculty to building staff and visitors. It is also a way of cementing the DEIC efforts that Pratt is currently working towards in a permanent way that reminds everyone of Pratt’s past and future accomplishments. Additionally, the mural reflects the creativity that lies in every Pratt student and the importance of thinking artistically in addressing the world’s problems, despite the separation that often exists between these fields.
We hope that the mural serves as a reminder for the community of inclusion and diversity that we are all trying to create across Duke’s campus, but especially within engineering. The alumni showcased on this wall are meant to show any past, current, or future Pratt student that there is not only space but a need for all types of engineers in this world! Because of the efforts of alumni and committees like DEIC in Pratt, students from all genders, ethnicities, and majors should feel capable of success in this amazing field that is engineering. We want the mural to be a place where these feelings can foster and people can come together to appreciate and reflect on the importance of diversity in our community.
The Nello L. Teer Building is the Pratt School of Engineering’s headquarters, where the dean’s office and service centers for both undergraduate and graduate students sit. Because of this, the Hudson-Teer breezeway (by the location of the mural) is a high-traffic area by undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, and researchers, offering excellent visibility and the potential to reach a large audience.
