𝙲𝚄𝚁𝙰𝚃𝙾𝚁𝙸𝙰𝙻 𝙰𝙲𝚃𝙸𝚅𝙸𝚂𝙼 𝙰𝙽𝙳 𝙸𝙽𝚃𝙴𝚁𝚅𝙴𝙽𝚃𝙸𝙾𝙽 - 𝙲𝙰𝚃

 

The Art of Activism|Duncombe & Lambert

"Our creativity thrives when it can escape the chatter of our mind, or the chatter of other people"

When an artists reaches their flow state it's important to block out any noise that gets in the way of their unique creative process. Mine consists of constantly steeping away, doodling on the side, singing even, and then coming back to newly inspired again. Sometimes critiques from others or myself even halts my process, so music is crucial in blocking out noise.

"In order for our creativity to progress, we need to allow ourselves the freedom to make fools of ourselves"

You can never really start something and be already perfect at it; there's no room for growth, critique, or change. I was so used to painting in acrylics and made a complete fool of myself trying out gouache and oils, and then realized oil might actually be my favorite of all three. Remember, I f****d up my first ever oil painting, compared to now, insane improvement but I had to fall first. 

Toward Curatorial Activism|Dr Maura Reilly

"In short, the art system – its institutions, market, press and so forth – is a hegemony...the current art system privileges white male creativity to the exclusion of everyone else"  

Hegemony (pronounced heh-JEM-uh-nee)is: when one group has dominant power or influence over others, especially in shaping beliefs, culture, or values, so much that their perspective feels normal or natural. In simple terms:It’s not just control through force, it’s control through ideas. If one group's ideas are seen as the norm, others are ignored. I've personally seen so many videos on potters, painters, sculptors; even the greats are mostly men. 

"Instead of being disheartened by the sad reality, it is perhaps more productive to be proactively antithetical: to misbehave, to talk back, while dedicating ourselves to disrupting the hegemonic discourse from within by showing the gaps in representation"

Growing up in a hispanic household, you're taught that it is disrespectful to talk back or question odd behavior. In our communities it's seen as different for children to grow up and finally speak their truth, because for most it's instilled in us to silence ourselves from a very young age. I chose to talk back at one time, and it was freeing. Through the hard times I experienced after in facing my family, my mother and I actually grew closer; but it wouldn't happen if I hadn't stepped out and spoke up against what I felt was wrong. 

What is an art intervention? 

• Artwork, or artistic action that intentionally enters an existing space, system, or conversation to disrupt, question, or transform it.

How can artists create messages for an audience that inspire change in a community? 

• LISTENING 𐦂𖨆𐀪𖠋 : identifying concerns and needs, co-create with friends or friends of friends.
• SPEAK OUT  ദ്ദി(˵ •̀ ᴗ - ˵ ) ✧ : use symbolism, storytelling, metaphors, invite thought, and create emotional dissonance. 
• ENCOURAGE OTHERS°‧ 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 ·｡: interactive installations, community murals, workshops, or performances.

How can we use processes/habits to help design an art intervention strategy? 

• RESEARCH 𓇼 ⋆.˚ 𓆉 𓆝 𓆡⋆.˚ 𓇼- who, what, where?
• DEFINE THE GOAL ⤷ awareness, policy change, shift, healing
• CHOOSE YOUR THING ✌︎㋡ - museum, public space, online
• CREATE & REFLECT ✎ᝰ.- test your stuff, critique, revise
• RELEASE ˙✧˖°📷 ༘ ⋆｡˚- post on socials, extend your impact, collaborate

What is curatorial activism? 

• The practice of organizing exhibitions & collections in ways that actively challenge dominant power structures in the art world. 

⤷ Museums & exhibitions shape what we value as "important" art.

How can art spaces and exhibitions function to expand art activism? 

• Platforms for visibility!
• Spaces for conversations!
• Educational sites!
• Community hubs!

╰┈➤ MY IDEA ദ്ദി◝ ⩊ ◜.ᐟ

    There have currently been so many sightings of ICE all throughout Hudson County. Last week I posted a link to HUDPOST, a community page on Instagram & TikTok, that posts daily-local news, as well as pop culture news and different spots and activities to explore throughout the county. I appreciate the fact that their activism is shown through publishing videos, usually live or a few minutes after-the-fact, to warn people who might be affected. Considering our county has a large population consisting of POC, ICE's presence here has been quite scary. In my Experimental Painting class, we're actually working on an assignment to "spread a message". You think of a message, create a design, create a few more just to be sure of which you feel fits your message best, and cut out a stencil from cardboard. It's meant to explore the idea of news spreading quickly. Inspired by graffiti, and notable artists like the one I chose last week, BANKSY, it's one way to catch someone's attention. Now this isn't to say my professor is encouraging vandalism, but more so inspire us to find different ways of self-expression and a new way of spreading awareness. This ties into last week's inspo, BANKSY's Love is in the Air. Another image that I really like and inspires my message for both classes is BANKSY's Keep Your Coins I Want Change. The artwork features a homeless person holding a cardboard sign with the phrase, challenging passersby to look beyond monetary charity and address the systemic, social, and political causes of poverty.  

BRAINSTORMING MY MESSAGE

Keep Your Coins I Want Change, BANKSY '04-'05

I would like to finish my stencil and spread the word on the streets of my neighborhood, let the world know ICE OUT, we don't want our government hurting our people.