Direct Message | Teen Bubbler

Direct Message

Thas it, right there
That goin' be the name, direct message right there
Box that one, that's the name
Hashtag
Who like Direct Message? Raise yo hand!
How you goin' say it?
Black lives matter
Cuz look, we got a message, and it's gonna be direct
We sendin' a message to show how people can come together and work on a project and get it done
There we go, yeah!
It's a direct message to society of the misconception that they have on us young black minorities

Looking at teen exhibit from outside Central Library's main entrance.

Exhibition was on display at Madison's Central Library, May-August 2016. [SEE MAP]

Daytime: larger than life power pose exhibit outside of the main entrance.
Nighttime: shadow projection show on the outside of the 2nd Floor windows, above the main entrance.
Listen to Faisal Abdu'Allah discuss the project on Madison's local WORT 8 O'CLOCK BUZZ.

Direct Message was an exhibit created by teens through Madison Public Library's Bubbler program, which tapped community resources to foster this 15-week project in hands-on, peer-supported learning and digital literacy. Bubbler teens were addressing the nation's widest black/white educational opportunity gap and highest per capita black juvenile arrest and incarceration rate in Dane County, Wisconsin, with this semester-long project allowing them to explore and redefine their own public image.

Thank you FAISAL ABDU'ALLAH and the many other artists, educators and activists who have made this exhibit possible, including:

Johanna Boyle

Rob Dz

Kay DeWaide

Matt Feifarek

Institute of Museum and Library Services

Dana Johnson

Richard Jones

Just Bakery

Madison Graphics

Claire Mason

Morgridge Center for Public Service

Ira and Ineva Reilly Baldwin Wisconsin Idea Endowment

Nazka Serrano

Meg Sill

UW-Madison School of Library & Information Studies

Manon van de Water

Albert Watson

Jeremy Wineberg

Orion Wells

Faisal's WORT Interview

Shadow Exhibit

Projected on white paper draped over the two 8ft windows that create the 2nd Floor corner jutting over the corner of Mifflin and Fairchild, this exhibit was only visible during the night and Madison's Central Library looked to have a live teen performance every evening during the summer of 2016.

Behind the scenes...

An exhibit like Direct Message doesn't happen without hours of work behind the scenes revising, reshooting, and reviewing. Here's a look into what it took for us. All photos by Direct Message participants, Spring 2016.

KO

I thought this was gonna be lame, but it wasn’t. It was cool. Cooler than I thought it was gonna be.

Chillin' at the Central Library teen section

Tracing a photograph for an exhibition mock up

Brown paper silhouettes, KO and Bossz

Finesse

Direct Message is literally a direct message to all the people with the misconception of us minorities and the stereotypical perceptions and how people portray us. There's more to us ... And you know, people don’t really try to go in too deep into why we do this or why we do that. How we act. You know, why we act the way we act. Where we come from. People just go based off what they see when truly they really don’t know. And I just feel like Direct Message is a way for us to have our voice be heard.

We are the targets that you always reach to aim,

we are the problems that you’re always quick to blame

but why us aren’t we all the same

see life’s a system and we’re just part of the game

but we gotta learn to sustain and turn this pain into gain

because everybody’s killing everybody

so how many of us will remain?

They don’t want my people here

that’s why they treat us unfair,

police suppose to protect and serve but when it comes to us

truly they don’t care.

They criminalize the blacks

Frame us off statistics

but are those truly the facts?

They just know us by our color

but it’s deeper than that.

But society keep at it

I don’t expect a change

it’s just crazy how you say that we’re the ones to blame.

-Finesse

Choreographing the moving silhouettes

Brown paper silhouette, Finesse

Star

I got talent. I sing and that's my talent.

Singing at Central Library

Creating silhouettes in Faisal Abdu'Allah's studio

Anonymous

JMOE

I play football and basketball. I'm cold at it. Practice. Practice is important for being the best. I run, and I work out, and you gotta be a good member of the team. I like to be outside because I can be with my friends there.

JMOE working with Faisal

Creating an exhibit mockup with artist Faisal Abdu'Allah

JMOE's silouhette

Capturing shadows in a video

JMOE's walking silhouette

Doing the videos was difficult because we had to keep starting over, but the end was awesome.

Kayonce

If it's a clean world, then it could be a peaceful world. If we don't take care of the earth, we couldn't be here, we wouldn't be here. And I don't think we're taking care of it now and if we don't ever take care of it, we will run out of chances. Love yourself before you can love anything else. Sad people today don't put effort into themselves, but more into other people.

Time Capsule: images and ideas for the future, Kayonce

Young Pac

I rap about my family and things that is going on in my life, how I grew up, what's going on in the streets. That's real. Don't do things that you know is wrong. Don't follow other people. That's what gets you locked up. Growing up is really tough. Art helps you, it gets you to think about how it is. I would write a book about life. It depends on the people you hang out with.

Creating an exhibit mock up at Faisal Abdu'Allah's studio

Capturing shadows for a silhouette video

Time Capsule: Taking it into the Future, Young Pac

Northland

This is me. If they see my picture, this guy could be one of the best basketball players. Will be one of the best basketball players. It means never miss a shot. I want to jump so high I never come down. If I don't make it to basketball, then football. Boxing, too. If I don't make it in basketball, I want to be a policeman. I want to be in the K-9 unit so I can teach my own dog. I always wanted to do that.

Photographing artist Faisal Abdu'Allah

Direct Message.