Fall 2018 - Arts and Activism Class Blog

10 things I've taken from this class 1. Speak up even if you are unsure of the reaction you will get is-- you will probably learn something. 2. Leave room for others to speak. Let three others go before you if you are a compulsive hand raiser (as I am) 3. Consume art that is activism. Maquilapolis opened my eyes to something that had always been in front of me-- but never acknowledged or understood. It was not only eyeopening, but also inspiring and proof that our activism is not always needed. Communities can fight and have victories without any help from us. (Though I still think it is important to find opportunities to help) 4. Develop and empower others to be activists. When you are blessed with a vibrant art making career one can and should seek to empower and inspire others to use your infrastructure to evoke change in their own neck of the woods.  5. Be silent and listen. 6. Be vocal and passionate. Noga was so inspiring to have come in and see an ar...

This post and the next were posted by David Kirk. This is a late reply of Week 5's assignment. Branding is one of the more misunderstood communication concepts, especially among anti-corporate activists, who can and should use branding to their advantage. Branding is an extremely interesting phenomenon. On the one hand the the actual efficacy of a brands persistent nature in difficult to calculate; it is undeniably efficacious. It goes to say that activists should fight fire with fire in this case. Banksy is an incredible case of branded activism. There is an aesthetic consistency in his work that is incredibly compelling. This therefore makes his protests heard and seen.  There is nothing natural or inevitable about money, debt, property rights, or markets; they are symbolic systems that derive their efficacy from collective belief. Activists should inspire radical hope by exposing the mutability of these social relationships. This is an interesting theory, and one I believe. I wa...

David Kirk - Maquilapolis Maquilapolis was an extremely eye-opening film. I have known about cheap labor being utilized in factories in Mexico for some time, but this documentary did I very good job of systematically presenting the struggles of living in such an environment.  I resonated with the living conditions of these families. To start, that there seems to be very little presence and support coming from males. That these women work so hard on their own, and are also raising a family is unfathomable to me.  The disarray of basic infrastructure is also astounding to me. More particularly that the threat of electrocution from power lines being run through mud and water is a daily concern.  I disliked some of the way that the women were presented. As if to add flair and watch ability to the piece the filmmakers added some shots of the women placed on lazy susans; rotating as if they were products. It was effective at evoking the feeling of what these women's pli...

Ten Takeaways 1..2..3.. Then me! (100% !! I’ always trying to listen but I accidently talk over people a lot and I’m very loud!) Identity is something fluid and changing and we have to stay open and malleable There is no solid definition of artivism What is the meaning of a project’s success or failure? How can it evolve from each? Things in this world make you angry- instead of spewing it like venom, now there are tools for you to use it in a way that doesn't hurt, it teaches. Keep an eye out for the power dynamic at play in a space- you may or may not be contributing to something you don’t want to Step outside yourself more often, lift the veil and look with outside eyes. You think you do this all the time, but you don’t. Question literally everything Use the parts of yourself that are AVAILABLE- but don’t push past an edge. Your trauma is not your art//your art isn’t your trauma Question your own thoughts and ideas more- mine deep not wide!   ...

Beautiful Trouble Principles Anyone Can Act -Yes Men I really liked this principle as it reminded me of something a former acting teacher told me once. Talent means nothing, acting is a learned skill. As long as the person has a technique, is committed to its practice and is open to the training. Not only is this eye opening for acting, but as an entryway into activism. A lot of people can be made nervous by the spotlight, or having attention drawn to them. Having a technique, having something behind them (rehearsing), can free up a person as they feel prepared, they’re not winging it. Learning technique is like having a toolbox- whether it’s used for artivism or it’s used for acting (or whatever), it makes the job less daunting and more doable. B) Tactics “Détournement can be used to disrupt the flow of the media spectacle and, ultimately, to rob it of its power. Advertisements start to feel less like battering rams of consumerism and more like the raw materials for ...

Principle: Students should do their homework to actively participate in class. The nature of learning requires an engagement with materials on a critical thinking level, to extrapolate meaning and go beyond the “surface” of a piece. Tactic: To get students to do homework you pose a moral dilemma. Do the work and be favored by receiving points which, as they accumulate, will dictate the prowess of each student on a balanced scale. If, however, it was imposed that each student had to complete every assignment to receive a grade, a binary would be enacted. The dynamic would then be, complete all assignments to achieve the morally favorable outcome of succeeding, devoid of nuance and choice. Theory: While in either situation, not submitting an assignment results in a negative response, the necessity of submissions comes with a less dynamic teaching style, but fosters continuous work. Work bred out of the moral belief that one must succeed, and in this scenario succeeding is passing...