Art for a Change

I believe that art is a key part in social change. Before colloquium, I’ve never analyzed art in this way. I used to just see a piece, and appreciate it for its nice colors or creative style. I never thought to analyze the meaning behind the piece or what it’s advocating for. By integrating art into this colloquium, it helped us find new and creative ways to send a message. Since our class is mostly composed of non-art majors, I think the creative portion of this class gave us the opportunity to express ourselves. It also really integrates what we are fighting for and why we help our community partners. Every time I walk into Venetia Valley, I always look at their “I CAN” mural because it’s so vibrant. It’s a good reminder for the students that they can do whatever they want if they set their minds to it.

The artists in When We Fight We Win, use their artwork so send important messages, but why? I think it’s because art has a way of sending a message in a straight forward manner. The audience doesn’t have to read a whole article about the issue to get what the point is, they just have to look at it and get it right away. Artwork is an effective way to send a message, especially now when everybody is always in a rush and nobody has more than 10 seconds to spare. I also think that art is a good outlet for younger artists because it gives them a way to express their feelings without worrying about judgement. It’s a good idea to keep art and music classes in elementary and middle schools because it’ll show students at a young age that there are many ways that they can let their emotions out.