Show, Don’t Tell: The Art of Sharing Stories
In today’s juvenile detention centers, the education system lacks order and diligence, two factors that make for a functional learning environment. Education programs in juvenile detention centers are not in alignment with their respective public schools, making the transition to and from centers difficult for a student. It is important for individuals to be aware of how the education system works in detention centers. To convey this, we can use art to translate the educational experience of a juvenile student to an audience who may be unfamiliar with the process. This is called creative engagement.
Due to its ability to appeal to the different senses, creative engagement is the most efficient way to share a story. Showing a story, as opposed to simply telling one, allows an individual to engage in the narrative and create a personal connection. They can understand concepts beyond a literal level. Creative engagement in the form of visual art is the most effective tool in communicating information. Nearly everyone can understand it. When we think of visual arts, we think of paintings, sculptures, photography, and architecture. Each has the ability to represent a story. Each can provoke critical thinking from an individual with static images and fixed structures.
On February 20th, I attended the Juvenile Justice Reform press conference and exhibit hosted by the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice. The event was part of the Institute’s “150 Years is Enough” campaign, which aimed to transform New Jersey’s youth justice system by closing Jamesburg and Hayes, two of New Jersey’s largest youth prisons. In collaboration with coLAB Arts, an organization that engages artists, social advocates, and communities to create transformative new work, the event included an art exhibit that displayed work created by incarcerated youth. I will always remember one image in particular — a crying child sitting in the corner of an empty room with sharp claws reaching towards them. It was powerful. It was unsettling. I felt as though I was the child in the picture. I felt alone, like I was trapped and abandoned in a cold place. The image represented an experience I could not relate to, but seeing the artwork gave me a glimpse into someone else’s life.
Similarly, dance has the unique ability to create a story with its choreographic choices and dynamic movement. It allows audience members to absorb information and formulate ideas based on what they see. In addition to being a performing art, I consider dance to be a visual art — watching dance is just as important as doing dance. How dance differs from other visual arts is the fact that it changes. A dance performance is in a constant state of change, taking the audience on a journey. Dance tells a longer story. Whereas an individual develops an idea from a static image, multiple ideas form or change as the dance changes overtime.
How the education system in detention centers work, or rather how it does not work, is not commonly known to the public. To bring awareness to this nationwide issue, we have to start small — ideas start small then develop into something greater, having the ability to reach larger audiences. I have designed a project to enlighten viewers on the poor conditions of juvenile detention centers and their education systems. Detailing the transition process from a correctional school system to a public school system, there were pairs of contrasting photographs — one resembling the life of a public school child and the other an incarcerated child. I created a timeline with a red string to explain the history of detention centers with the main focus on New Jersey. The red string transmitted digitally to a computer screen, which played a video of a young male dancer dancing with the string — creative engagement. Portraying a troubled student who had returned to public school, the dancer manipulated the string with his body. My project’s intent was to represent chaos and disorder within the education program at the juvenile school system.
On April 12th, I presented my project at the “Life, Death, Life Again: Children Sentenced to Die in Prison” performance event in Highland Park. Members of the audience glanced over the comparison pictures and timeline. Whether they understood the concept or not, they were instantly captivated by the dance video. This was creative engagement — art compelling an audience to observe and react.
