Teacher Spotlight: Mr. Mike Wallace

During his 23 years at Gilman, Mike Wallace, a Middle School science educator, has made a lasting impact on every student who has sat in his classroom. Mr. Wallace, known as Mr. Wally, is a geologist and astronomer whose talents extend beyond his field. For example, he has pioneered a unique hobby of making GPS art that only around 100 people in the world partake in.

Mr. Wally first began to entertain the concept of GPS art in 2010, after playing a game called geocaching that leaves a trail behind the places you have been. Upon seeing this trail, he realized that he could make art simply from his bike rides. After this realization, he began to electronically track his rides through the streets of Baltimore, using them as his canvas, and following complex pathways to create detailed images. Some of his most physically demanding pieces require as many as 45 miles of riding, like his enormous spider web (see accompanying image). These intricate designs are only made possible by technology, which has evolved significantly since his beginning as a GPS artist. Back then, he would have to navigate the failure of tracking apps and his inability to see his work while it was being made. 

Mr. Wallace considers himself incredibly fortunate to bike and make art in Baltimore, which he deems “absolutely perfect for GPS art in different segments around town because there's a grid, at least in my canvas region.  I have a grid around the outside, and I've got this big, beautiful park in the middle, which allows me to curve my lines as I ride across the grass. So I can ride across the grass and curve my lines, whereas when I'm confined to the city streets, things are much more blocked in. But yeah, it’s a great, great spot to make GPS art in Baltimore, because you can get a little bit of both worlds by riding across grass and being confined to a grid-structured street design.”

 The first of his now 758-piece collection is his nickname, “Wally”, spelled across the city. Stemming from his initial piece, he has created the world’s largest portfolio of original pieces with many complex designs that have led to features in international news articles, like NBC and The Guardian, a TEDx interview, and even appearances on German game shows.   

In the classroom, Coach Wally begins each class with a mystery slide deck, highlighting topics from insects to music history to WallyGPX, always sprinkling in some of his own knowledge, not only sharing his mastery of science but also teaching and exemplifying how to be an upstanding citizen. Wallace always emphasizes the importance of “giving back to the community”, which he has done through hosting workshops with the Creative Alliance.

Wallace deeply values and treasures the Gilman community. He shared that “his favorite part is working with people that are very capable, and helping them recognize their full potential.” Coach Wally has dedicated his life to helping the youth and made it his life’s mission to help adolescents grow and thrive because it is his students’ “generation that is going to have to come up with new angles on old issues, new solutions to old problems that [his] generation and older made.” Mr. Wallace encourages every Gilman student to find their interests and make them their own along with being a changemaker who leaves the world better than they found it.  

For further content on Mr. Wally and his GPS Art, see The Guardian’s article “Human etch-a sketch': GPS art, burbing and my attempt to recreate the Guardian masthead” by Lewis Isaacs and the NBC News article “Using a bike, GPS, and the streets of Baltimore to Create Game-Inspired art” by Matthew Hawkins.