Self Expression, Art Activism - Essay Example

Activism Proposal to Self Express Introduction: Art can stir up critical thinking in human beings. It is an effective tool for getting the attention that one needs. When art is integrated with social and political issues it is called “art activism”. Although art activism connotes subversive action, it does not necessarily means so. It can be just a celebration of tradition and culture, which invites critical thinking and reflection of one’s own belief and view. According to the article “An Introduction to Community Art and Activism” it rather suggests the idea of “imagine it” and not “do this”. The purpose of art activism is to be heard collectively. Its major focus lies on the issue at hand and not on the artist as an individual (Cohen-Cruz, 2002). Art activism moves people through what they see. It stirs up something inside the viewer to do something. It was a medium that has been used by many to change the course of history. Art activism can be expressed in many ways. The examples are many; the Harlem Renaissance in 1919-1929, it was an early depiction of an African-American activist art. There was Angelina Grimke’s play “Rachel”, the stage was used to be heard clearly that everyone is equal, regardless of color and race. In 1917 Lenin used the colorful festivals to advance his agenda in Russia. These are just few examples of the power of Activist art (Cohen-Cruz, 2002). Artistic skills can be used to attract the attention of the public; it is an aid for the public so it can look deeply on social and political issues. Concert for example can be used to promote peace on war stricken and famine stricken country like Africa. People respond to the message of the music, it touches the hearts of its hearers. Art has the capacity to move the audience to reevaluate the accepted views. It can direct by consent and not by force as someone puts it (Cohen-Cruz, 2002). Having declared everything, I want to move on to the proposal. To use arts in order to get people’s attention; and to make them see or understand, and to persuade them to get involved. Observation: I asked people about what they think or feel on specific subjects. Majority of people I asked are having difficulty on expressing their thoughts regarding certain issues. I find it even difficult extracting from them what they think about what makes them proud or what makes them happy and what will make them hate themselves. They even find it difficult to complete sentences like “I am satisfied when I (……), I hate myself when I (……), and I think self confidence is (…….). When I asked them why this is so? They responded by saying, “we do not think about this before”. With that, I am taking that majority of people are not aware of what they want or what will make them happy or not happy, and what will make them confident or proud. Or maybe they just need to be guided or stirred up into looking at things differently. Through persistence I have managed to get people, mostly students, to talk about what makes them proud. Some of the answers are “I am proud of my heritage”, “I am proud that I am not afraid to be different”, and “I am proud that I love nature”. The challenge at hand is to get these people express their thoughts in more active way. I want these people to express themselves through art forms. The idea is to let them experience the beauty of being able to express what’s inside them and to be heard. Imagine how good they would feel, if they realize that what they think and feel are important. Sometimes the fear to express with confidence is rooted in the feeling of insignificance. Now, no one is insignificant. What one feels, what one thinks, all of it are important. It does not matter if one colors his hair blue or red or anything for that matter. What matters is that no matter who you are, no matter what the color of your skin, you are a human being, and for that matter alone you are very important. Thus, whatever it is that you are going to say is important. Every individual is entitled to his/her own opinion. This truth is often times set aside because of the need to be accepted. An individual may choose not to express any idea in exchange to being “like anybody else”. But there are times when being like everybody else is not quite right. Proposal: To create a group of people that will express what they think and feel based on the idea of art activism. The membership of this group will be open to everybody in all walks of life. They will learn to put words upon what they feel, they will learn to describe their impulses and act upon it in artistic way. 1. Start with people who artistically inclined – As much as it is open to everyone in all walks of life, it would be great to start with people whose passions are there already. People that would help spearhead and put together the pieces for the final outcome of the project. 2. Regular meetings for education – A place for rendezvous is needed. Discussion about arts and how it could be used to affect people must be an important part of this regular meeting. Educate them about the history and development of public art or community art. How it has been the voice behind so many changes in history. 3. Guide and encourage people to self express –The movie “Dead Poets Society” depicted a strategy on how to do this kind of thing. Mr. Keating, the English Professor, with his intelligence, inspired his students to follow individual passions. Mr. Keating broke the traditional way of teaching; he was passionate with what his doing, and at one point in the movie, he asked his students to stand on the table, because by standing on the table he said, “You will see this place in a completely different way”. At another scenario, on the courtyard, he asked each of his students to walk in a way that please each of one of them. It could be a proud kind of walk, it could be a silly kind of walk, and it could be anything that would make them feel different (Schulman, 1989). It is okay to be different. That is the whole point of activist art, to be able to express undauntedly a certain idea; it does not matter if it is unpopular. How to process ideas into tangible arts? Art works are product of human’s rich imagination. Human minds are full of concepts or ideas which are being developed everyday through daily existence. In connection to this fact, the public arts are developed through constant dealings with everyday issues in the community. Public arts connect the audience to the current issue in the society he or she lives in. Therefore the mural the individual see on the wall of the building in the street affects him deeply; because he feels that there is something on that painting that is a part of him (Miles, 1997). Ideas are endless, how the individual mine these treasures depends so much on him. Here are some suggestions (Tamaki, 2009): 1. Pay attention to life – read books, go to malls, see movies, read blogs, go to the park, look at the playing children. Just pay attention to life. 2. Collect things that interest you – it may be pictures, magazine, old things, sea shells, weird hats, weird sleepers, well just about anything that stirs emotion. 3. Take time to read – try to absorb the content of the book, highlight a sentence or phrase that is striking to you. If you are curious about a subject, dig on it more. Use internet, read reviews about it. This will help you slowly structure the artwork. Artworks may take into many forms. Music – any harmonious combination of vocal and instrumental sounds with rhythm in accordance to cultural backgrounds (http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/398918/music). Visual Art – a form of arts that pertains to specific object that is created for the purpose of viewing. It can be painting (murals/ sketches), sculpture, photography and crafts. Theatre - is a branch of performing arts where a person or two or more people in a specific time and place assume a character other that theirs (Beckerman, 1970). Dance – is an expression of feeling, idea and energy through rhythmic movement of the body (http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/150714/dance). The Objective: The main objective is to get as many as possible to join the group where they can develop and grow as independent thinkers, more in touch with self and are able to put every idea into something tangible and substantial. References: Bernard, Beckerman.(1970).Dynamics of Drama Cohen-Cruz, Jan. (2002) “An Introduction to Community Art and Activism”. Accessed: October 1, 2009 at http://www.communityarts.net/readingroom/archivefiles/2002/02/an_introduction.php Miles, Malcolm.(1997) “Arts, Space and the City” Schulman, Tom. (1989)“Dead Poets Society” Touchstone Pictures. Tamaki, Gillian.(2009) “An Introduction to Community Art and Activism”. Accessed: October 1, 2009 at http://DonLowIllustration.com http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/398918/music http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/150714/dance Read More