Ƶ

Ƶ Students Partner with Civic Works to Develop Maryland Emancipation Day Celebration

April 24, 2024 4 PM

On Tuesday, April 23, students from The Mill Agency at Ƶ presented their final vision for a Maryland Emancipation Day celebration to the non-profit organization Civic Works.

Maryland Emancipation Day marks November 1, 1864, the day Maryland’s newly adopted constitution ended slavery in the state. Since then, Emancipation Day events commemorating that day have been held around the state. In August 2023, Stevenson students presented Civic Works with the idea of holding a similar event in Baltimore City—which, to their knowledge, had yet to hold its annual Emancipation Day celebration. Now, After nearly nine months of collaboration between the students and faculty of The Mill Agency and Civic Works, a celebration is slated to take place later this year at Baltimore’s historic Clifton Mansion.

“I am so proud of what the students and faculty of the Mill Agency have accomplished,” said Meghan Marx, Associate Professor of Arts and Graphic Design at Stevenson. “Students in The Mill Agency designed and planned a full event for Civic Works that takes complex history, the non-profit’s mission, and the community into account. The Mill Agency is a great example to experience in a student-driven, client-focused interdisciplinary applied learning environment. The work done for Civic Works would not have been possible without Stevenson’s support of interdisciplinary collaboration and the generous support of PNC.”

Stevenson Communications and Design students’ final proposal included design assets, activity demonstrations, and logistics details to help Civic Works execute the event. The goal of the event is to highlight the historical and social significance of Emancipation Day in Maryland and its relevance today.

“It was amazing,” said Natrina Lee, Venue Events Manager at Clifton Mansion for Civic Works. “Everything is beautiful, and I appreciate how I can see some of the things we suggested throughout the process. The focus and attention to detail is amazing.”

Part of Stevenson’s School of Design, Arts, and Communication, The Mill Agency is a student-run advertising, communications, and design agency. Their partnership with Civic Works was made possible through support from PNC and has provided Stevenson students with an opportunity to gain hands-on experience while creating solutions to real-world problems.

Visit The Mill Agency page to learn more about this unique program at Stevenson. For the latest news from around campus, follow Ƶ on and .