Entry #7
March 9, 2020
#artisactivism
Art is such a powerful tool that can and has contributed to society. Now more than ever, through the power of social media the multitude of platforms on which to disseminate information and images, art is virtually sharable with anyone on the planet. There are many examples of artists that have used their art as activism and create awareness about important human issues. Angela Haseltine Pozzi, has been creating sculptures out of trash collected from around the world’s beaches and oceans to create awareness about plastic pollution in our waters. Jeroen Koolhaas met Dre Urhahn created an organization that paints murals in marginalized communities around the world to help people take pride in their neighborhoods, boost confidence and help community members feel connected. The exciting thing about having art that promotes social change as accessible as it is through social media, is that it can more easily be incorporated as lessons in classrooms. As teachers we can now have more access to connecting and finding artists that are creating art that influences and positively impacts our world. As a child, and knowing my inclination for art, my instinct when asked what I wanted to be when I grew up was to say something “practical” like a nurse or a vet. Art in my parent’s eyes, was not practical because art is something to appreciate visually, not something that can influence society. As mentioned in other journal entries, my view of art was through a Europeanized lens and constrained to representational lifelike still lives, white marble sculptures, and portraits of aristocracy or flowing tunic dressed muses. There have been various experiences throughout the years that have reshaped my view of art and how to appreciate and see that art as more than just visually pleasing but as truly an instrument that can speak to hearts and minds. When my kids were little, we had the opportunity (and now I realize privilege) to see several of Angela Haseltine Pozzi’s sculptures at the Denver Zoo. As described in her website, her sculptures really are monumental. Appreciating these beautiful and impactful works of art up close and personal is quite shocking and motivating. Among the many pieces that we saw walking through the zoo were a sea turtle, a shark, a penguin, a clownfish, and a seal among others, all made entirely out of flipflops, bottlecaps, pieces of tire, toothbrushes, Lego, and even toilet seats that have been “washed ashore.” Seeing so much trash assembled together to represent the very species that are endangered by the same plastic that composes the sculpture is heartbreaking and shocking but also provokes a sense of urgency to do something: recycle, volunteer or contribute to the cause in some way as well as educate and show others what we are doing to our planet. This experience has been one of many that has slowly been scaffolding to my evolution of how I am starting to see art and art education. I continue to evolve and change not only to improve as an artist, but also as an educator, just as the pieces in my journal entries continue to do so. Putting my new perspectives into practice in the classroom motivate and keep me going. It will be wonderful to see what kinds of wonderful art my students create.
