They are hard to miss.

Outside the UW Tower stand six large metal doors covered in black-and-white pictures adorned with bright yellow words — six doors and four words that tell the story of the University District.

From protests held on I-5 to sit-ins and riots on campus, the

U-District was home to it all during the Vietnam War era. Now, as time has passed, the legacy of activism in the U-District lives on. Students continue to push to break down boundaries, get their voices heard and make a difference.

Open to Question, a collaborative art and history project, was created by UW faculty, staff, community members, and graduate and undergraduate students in conjunction with the larger Museum Without Walls project.

Julia Swan, a former graduate student in the field of museology and the public relations coordinator for the Burke Museum, began the Open To Question exhibit as part of her master’s thesis, and it slowly evolved into a larger project.

“I wanted to tell the story of how the neighborhood was the center for activism,” she said.

Open To Question is much more that just an exhibit — it is the story of those who lived during a very volatile time in the U-District neighborhood.

The words tension, equality, voices and peace splash across the front of the doors in bright yellow, describing the activism of the 1960s and ’70s.

“We felt like [the words] told history and that people would relate to them,” Swan said. “We wanted to get people to think about how to involve themselves in activism.”

The open doors are set up in a cluster in front of the North Plaza at the UW Tower, welcoming the public in. “A person’s curiosity will be piqued just by walking by,” wrote Leslie MacNeil, the visual communication designer on the design team and a teaching assistant in the School of Art, in an e-mail. “Hopefully, it will draw in people who are interested in the history of activism in the University District, as well as many passersby who are surprised by large doors that seem to be out of place.”

Many neighbors and community members who grew up in the area during the 1960s and ’70s aided in the development and placement of the exhibit, Swan said. Their stories and pictures were essential to its creation.

Because it is not just an exhibit for UW students, “[the location] is a good blend of on- and off-campus,” Swan said.

The exhibit not only draws people in, but literally poses the question, “What doors of opportunity do you want to open?” Visitors are encouraged to write an answer on the last door in chalk.

“The interactive element is a great, casual way for people to think about and express what [issues] they care about,” Swan said.

Reach reporter Karleen Scharer at news@dailyuw.com.