Burrell & Comcast celebrate Dr. King’s dream through art

Busts of Dr. King form the campaign's centerpiece
Busts of Dr. King form the campaign’s centerpiece

To celebrate the memory and life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Burrell and Comcast have launched a dynamic new campaign titled Visions of King, using the hashtag #Keepmarching.

Nine busts of Dr. King form the centerpiece of the campaign. The Nigerian contemporary artist, Shala Akintunde, was commissioned to work with young Philadelphia-area artists to create the collection of unique sculpture busts. The works are titled with words taken directly from Dr. King’s speeches.

“We will not be silent,” “Our dreams matter,” and “Doing what is right” are a few of the titles representing the work on display.

Burrell and Comcast invited local partners and supporters of young artists to participate, including the Philadelphia High School for the Creative & Performing Arts (CAPA), Big Brothers Big Sisters, Overbrook School for the Blind, and Girard College.

The sculptures were revealed during a Friday event at CAPA.

 

 

Each sculpture includes a moving video about the artist’s creative journey while working on the project. For example, the students at Girard College named their sculpture, “Justice,” finding their inspiration in Dr. King’s famous quote, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

 

 

For their sculpture, “Democracy,” The Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Potter Thomas School chose to explore American democracy, using this quote from Dr. King as their motivator, “Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy.”

 

 

Finally, there is an amazing sculpture, “Darkness and light” that the Overbrook School for the Blind explored through touch. For the students, it brought a new understanding, using Dr. King’s quote, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

 

 

“I am so proud of this work, and the team that has labored over the last few months, against great odds to pull this off. There were challenging days, but we persevered,” said Burrell VP Group Account Director James Patterson, adding, “#KeepMarching is a reminder of what this agency has always done best. We create opportunities for brands to engage AA consumers through platforms that celebrate our best.”

Comcast is now in the process of installing the sculptures at various locations throughout Philadelphia for display throughout the month of February.

To view the statues live, visit:
   Philadelphia City Hall
   Comcast Center
   The Philadelphia Museum of Art (the famed “Rocky” stairs)
   The African American Museum in Philadelphia
   Betsy Ross House
   The School District of Philadelphia
   Temple University
   The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts.

The campaign is being supported with print, radio and digital in key Comcast markets. To learn more, click here.

CREDITS
Agency: Burrell
   Chief Creative Officer: Lewis Williams
   VP/Creative Director: Terrence Burrell

   Commissioned Artist and visiting Creative Director: Shala Akintunde
   Jr. Copywriter: Makeda Loney
   Art Director: Winston Chueng
   Copywriter: Allison Lyke
   Senior Broadcast Producer: Debra Dale
   Senior Producer: Sofia Akinyele-Trokey
   Senior Digital Producer: Carlo Treviso
   Director of Studio Services: Sean Devlin
   Production Manager: Jodi Alstrin
   VP Group Account Director: James Patterson
   VP Account Director: Tracy Anderson
   SVP Group Media Services: Linda Jefferson
   Associate Media Director: Donnell Chester
   Manager Broadcast Business: Linda Glover

Photo credits (in order of images and video from top to bottom):

Print ad for Keep Marching. The Comcast Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Philadelphia Arts Initiative. Painted stain glass sculpture bust of Martin Luther King by artist Shala Akintunde. 

Philadelphia High Schools unveil busts of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Students of Girard College discuss their sculpture inspired by the quote “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” 

The Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Potter Thomas School discuss American democracy inspired by the martin Luther. King quote “Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy.”

Overbrook School for the Blind discusses how artist Shala’s tactile work with their students illustrated the Martin Luther King quote, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

Contact Colin Costello at colin@reelchicago.com or follow him on Twitter @colincostello10.