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Dallas Students Speak

In the companion campaign to Dallas Teachers Speak, 29 Pieces led workshops to lift up the voices of Dallas ISD students.

A glass wall inside a school is lined with student-made drawings of teachers. At the front of the display is a poster with the Dallas Students Speak and 29 Pieces logos.
Display of Dallas Students Speak portraits, which were created by students of Emmett J. Conrad High School and Irma Rangel Young Women’s Leadership School. Photo by 29 Pieces.

In Dallas Students Speak, 320 Dallas students created portraits of teachers who impacted them positively.

Artists Riley Holloway and Karen Blessen led workshops on portrait-making with students from Emmett J. Conrad High School and Irma Rangel Young Women’s Leadership School. Students were then invited to craft a portrait of a teacher who inspired them.

29 Pieces exhibited the art at Dallas City Hall, Dallas Central Library, and each respective school concurrently with the Dallas Teachers Speak campaign. Exhibiting student artwork provided a platform for students to take pride in their work and redoubled our celebration of great teachers.

Dallas Students Speak was produced with generous support from the City of Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs, the Young Women's Preparatory Network, and an anonymous foundation.

“An overwhelmingly positive experience for students and teachers.”
Mr. A Mayer, Art Teacher, Emmett J. Conrad High School (Dallas ISD)
Illustration of a smiling bearded man wearing a Baton Rouge polo t-shirt against a multicolored collage with cutout words like “Bold,” “Hope,” “Strong,” “Leading,” and “Aligning Ambitions,” along with hand drawn text that reads “I admire you for giving opportunities,” and “Thank you for helping us in our future.” At the bottom in large, bold text are the words “In his prime.
Collage illustration of a woman wearing sunglasses and a necklace made of flowers under the text, “Ms. Chappuis.” In the background are handwritten messages that read, “Thank you for teaching me about the world,” “You always help me when I have a question,” and “I like how you always make the whole class laugh.”
Collage illustration of a woman with flowers in her hair, which is green. At the bottom there is large text in purple cheetah print pattern that says “Ms. Chappuis,” along with more flowers, which contain messages like “Your smile lights up my day,” and “You motivate me to keep going.”
Pencil illustration of a man against a collage background with multicolored patterns, pictures of a world globe, and cursive text that says “Tony Jennison.” There are cutout words and phrases like “Friends,” “Smart,” and “Dedication is working hard when no one is counting on you,” and the message, “The best thing I learned from you is trying to do your best and never give up. [...To] never stop [believing] that we can do it and make the future.”
Silhouettes of skyscrapers against a starry blue night sky below the word 'LOVE'; in the foreground is a body of water made of blue and green collage paper.
Collage-style artwork of a blue sky with clouds and birds, featuring a quote by Alice Walker made from cut-out letters: 'The more I wonder, the more I love.'
Teacher portraits created by Emmett J. Conrad High School and Irma Rangel Young Women’s Leadership School students for the Dallas Students Speak campaign.

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