Derek A. : Forgotten Elders
Esteban Z. : Special Needs
This picture represents all of the disabled and special needs communities throughout the world. As the artist the picture is supposed to illustrate someone with a disability playing the sport basketball. These disabled groups of people are invisible to the rest of the world. Since they are disabled or different people automatically cast them out of their life as “nonfunctional” people. People of today’s society will look at them and see someone who can’t be or do anything that “normal” people are able to do. This illustration shows that even people who can’t run can play basketball and do other activities. People in our society should know that these groups of outstanding individuals are able to function and participate in various outdoor activities and events. I hope that someday people will help volunteer or watch the Special Olympics or the Paralympics to be aware and appreciate this wonderful individuals and athletes.
Caleb H. : Blindness
Every Tuesday and Friday I walk out in front of the Library where I work to collect the returns left in the book bins on the street. And every Tuesday and Friday a little old blind man passes by while I’m working. He’s always polite and tells me not to work too hard. I never paid him much thought until last Tuesday when the Library experienced a blackout. It was dark in there. Employees were given flashlights and the few patrons who decided to wait it out huddled near the buildings few windows. When I came out to get the returns I was blown away by how bright and beautiful it was outside. As the old man passed me by I thought about how important our sense of sight really is. He walks down the ever busy Fairview two days a week with nothing to guide him but a cane and a keen sense of hearing. Until now I had ever thought about him. The blind have always been marginalized by society but as we increase our focus on dealing with illnesses and disabilities which have not been well understood until recently, the blind face the increasing ignorance that their problems have all been solved. They are not. Even the simplest tasks can be hardships for the blind. I was upset that I could not shelve books when the lights were off. My blind friend has never even read one. As the world increasingly digitalizes texts and written statuses have become common. Once again our blind neighbors are being left behind.
Society itself is blind to these everyday problems. This is an irony I hoped to capture in my work. This blindness makes the blind invisible. I left the outline I used to create the pattern of the blind man below so that even if the viewer is colorblind, they will still be able to vaguely see the presence of the figure. This shows that while the blind can be at times invisible, they are always here among us. To a non- colorblind viewer the vision of the man is clear, he is no longer invisible. This represents what increased awareness to the problems of the blind can accomplish. The end of their invisibility.
Society itself is blind to these everyday problems. This is an irony I hoped to capture in my work. This blindness makes the blind invisible. I left the outline I used to create the pattern of the blind man below so that even if the viewer is colorblind, they will still be able to vaguely see the presence of the figure. This shows that while the blind can be at times invisible, they are always here among us. To a non- colorblind viewer the vision of the man is clear, he is no longer invisible. This represents what increased awareness to the problems of the blind can accomplish. The end of their invisibility.
Danielle W.
Have you ever thought about the future? No, not your future, but our future? The future
of the land, water and air we breath; Our Earth? If you answered “no” to this question, it is clear that you may be unaware of the injustice circulating around environmental issues. These issues have been suppressed by politics and legislature repeatedly, and if we want there to be a place for our children and our children’s children to inhabit, these issues must be brought into the light.
Such things I am referring to are our dependency on foreign oil, the absurd quantity of
our power derived from coal, and the lack of effort and funding put into alternative energy
research. It is no longer a question. Global Climate change is creeping upon us. One terribly
storm after another, we see the detrimental effects of mother nature. What we fail to see is the cause: Humans. It is scientifically proven that anthropogenic pollution is one of the main
contributors to climate change, and will continue to do so as long cars remain a resource for
commuting to work and air conditioners remain our saving grace during those roasting summer afternoons. What we must recognize is that right now, we have the potential to stop and prevent-maybe even reverse-some of the effects of climate change. But if our generation doesn’t work towards sustainable solutions so that we can continue to have commodities such as hot water, heat, gasoline or basic electricity, it will become intangible. Our resources run dry. I can guarantee that no one want to hear this, but they need to. Just take this as an incentive to share with others what you can do to help. If all you do is tell one person to protect earth’s future, then hopefully they will carry on that message. The key is to make people aware that this is not something to keep overlooking. We must bring attention to issues that regard our future and address them now.
of the land, water and air we breath; Our Earth? If you answered “no” to this question, it is clear that you may be unaware of the injustice circulating around environmental issues. These issues have been suppressed by politics and legislature repeatedly, and if we want there to be a place for our children and our children’s children to inhabit, these issues must be brought into the light.
Such things I am referring to are our dependency on foreign oil, the absurd quantity of
our power derived from coal, and the lack of effort and funding put into alternative energy
research. It is no longer a question. Global Climate change is creeping upon us. One terribly
storm after another, we see the detrimental effects of mother nature. What we fail to see is the cause: Humans. It is scientifically proven that anthropogenic pollution is one of the main
contributors to climate change, and will continue to do so as long cars remain a resource for
commuting to work and air conditioners remain our saving grace during those roasting summer afternoons. What we must recognize is that right now, we have the potential to stop and prevent-maybe even reverse-some of the effects of climate change. But if our generation doesn’t work towards sustainable solutions so that we can continue to have commodities such as hot water, heat, gasoline or basic electricity, it will become intangible. Our resources run dry. I can guarantee that no one want to hear this, but they need to. Just take this as an incentive to share with others what you can do to help. If all you do is tell one person to protect earth’s future, then hopefully they will carry on that message. The key is to make people aware that this is not something to keep overlooking. We must bring attention to issues that regard our future and address them now.
Tiana B. : Women in the Military
Women in The Military
On January 24, 2013, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta removed the military ban on women serving in combat, so it was only recently when women were granted the right to fight for their country. However, women in the military are still not considered equals in the line of duty. Women are allowed in most of the military positions, but are still not allowed in Army Special Operations, Navy Seals, and Delta Force. Most of the time, women in the military only get acknowledgement when the news reports sexual assault or rape on them. So while the women are trying to gain the respect they need, the only news about them depicts them as weak and helpless. The Pentagon lifted the band to close the dwindling number of enlisted, not to give women the respect they deserve. Women are just as capable as men if the world would give them a chance to show it.
I created a collage with a twist. The collage is in the shape of a woman and has a quote in the part that is the head. This collage shows women in the military from all different countries, with pictures of some smiling, some in line of duty, and all with determination in their eyes. I want women to be inspired when they look at this collage and feel like they can accomplish anything. I want men to look at this and see a fellow “brother” in arms that is just as capable as he. I want the world to recognize women in the military.
On January 24, 2013, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta removed the military ban on women serving in combat, so it was only recently when women were granted the right to fight for their country. However, women in the military are still not considered equals in the line of duty. Women are allowed in most of the military positions, but are still not allowed in Army Special Operations, Navy Seals, and Delta Force. Most of the time, women in the military only get acknowledgement when the news reports sexual assault or rape on them. So while the women are trying to gain the respect they need, the only news about them depicts them as weak and helpless. The Pentagon lifted the band to close the dwindling number of enlisted, not to give women the respect they deserve. Women are just as capable as men if the world would give them a chance to show it.
I created a collage with a twist. The collage is in the shape of a woman and has a quote in the part that is the head. This collage shows women in the military from all different countries, with pictures of some smiling, some in line of duty, and all with determination in their eyes. I want women to be inspired when they look at this collage and feel like they can accomplish anything. I want men to look at this and see a fellow “brother” in arms that is just as capable as he. I want the world to recognize women in the military.
Katherine T. : Mental Illness
“Hidden Potentialities”
In support of mental awareness and mental disorders, my artwork is meant to portray my perspective of the mentally ill and hopefully resolve some of the negative stereotypes that surround this group of people.
For many people when they think along the lines of the mentally ill, the first words they think of are “crazy,” “insane,” “psycho,” “mental asylum,” or something of the like. I depicted this negative misconception through the colorless medium of the majority of the work. The only drawn piece with color, the green mental awareness ribbon, is supposed to show sort of a light of hope in a way, a symbol that not everyone has the same preconceptions and genuinely want to support and provide aid to those with mental disorders. The collage of pictures inside the skull is meant to showcase the capabilities the mentally disordered may have but is not evident because of their disorder. This is one spot of color surrounded by gray is supposed to represent unseen potential and aptitude.
The skull itself is meant to represent a raw person, a human being at its very core, stripped away of anything that can be viewed as different to show that underneath our outer appearance we are all essentially identical. The swirls of dark gray above the skull were initially meant to be flames, a sign of energy and perhaps destruction. However half-way through, I sort of mixed the design of flames with plant leaves to provide a more gentle interpretation. Both represent life and energy, however fire can also be deadly while plants are green and tranquil, paralleling to the varying, differentiating behaviors of the mentally ill; some may be erratic as the stereotype suggests while others may be quite calm. At one corner the skull is fragmenting away into puzzle pieces; this is to characterize a mental illness since those with mental disorders have brain chemistry fundamentally different from what society sets as normal. The puzzle pieces can be seen as either coming together or breaking apart, similar to mental recovery and relapse; most mental illness cannot be cured only treated.
I hoped to portray elements of surrealism and abstraction in the picture for an unworldly effect. I do not personally understand the feelings of the mentally ill, and I unless I were to develop a mental disorder myself, I cannot come close to understanding. However I do not follow the popular, but misconstrued perception of the mentally ill so I wanted to address this badly informed stereotype. With this I hope to broaden people’s perspective on this topic and perhaps rethink their own biases and thoughts.
In support of mental awareness and mental disorders, my artwork is meant to portray my perspective of the mentally ill and hopefully resolve some of the negative stereotypes that surround this group of people.
For many people when they think along the lines of the mentally ill, the first words they think of are “crazy,” “insane,” “psycho,” “mental asylum,” or something of the like. I depicted this negative misconception through the colorless medium of the majority of the work. The only drawn piece with color, the green mental awareness ribbon, is supposed to show sort of a light of hope in a way, a symbol that not everyone has the same preconceptions and genuinely want to support and provide aid to those with mental disorders. The collage of pictures inside the skull is meant to showcase the capabilities the mentally disordered may have but is not evident because of their disorder. This is one spot of color surrounded by gray is supposed to represent unseen potential and aptitude.
The skull itself is meant to represent a raw person, a human being at its very core, stripped away of anything that can be viewed as different to show that underneath our outer appearance we are all essentially identical. The swirls of dark gray above the skull were initially meant to be flames, a sign of energy and perhaps destruction. However half-way through, I sort of mixed the design of flames with plant leaves to provide a more gentle interpretation. Both represent life and energy, however fire can also be deadly while plants are green and tranquil, paralleling to the varying, differentiating behaviors of the mentally ill; some may be erratic as the stereotype suggests while others may be quite calm. At one corner the skull is fragmenting away into puzzle pieces; this is to characterize a mental illness since those with mental disorders have brain chemistry fundamentally different from what society sets as normal. The puzzle pieces can be seen as either coming together or breaking apart, similar to mental recovery and relapse; most mental illness cannot be cured only treated.
I hoped to portray elements of surrealism and abstraction in the picture for an unworldly effect. I do not personally understand the feelings of the mentally ill, and I unless I were to develop a mental disorder myself, I cannot come close to understanding. However I do not follow the popular, but misconstrued perception of the mentally ill so I wanted to address this badly informed stereotype. With this I hope to broaden people’s perspective on this topic and perhaps rethink their own biases and thoughts.
Riley K. : Elephants
I chose an elephant as my invisible object because of many reasons. The first and most prominent reason elephants are invisible is because not only can they not talk but the can not fight back or do anything to protect themselves. The fact that they cannot talk or fight back is important because they are hunted for there tusks. Hunters kill the elephants soley for the tusks. An elephant tusk is so important because it is made of ivory. Ivory is a prized possession by many because it is a multipurpose material and if one owns it they are considered wealthy. So a great amount of people on Asia create a high demand for it. The hunters do not see the elephants as living creatures, all they see is that they are an oppurtunity for money, so they will do whatever they have to to get that money.
Elephants are now in danger of becoming a lost species. The demand for ivory and the change in land use pose a huge threat to these beautiful animals. in the early 1970’s the ivory demand skyrocketed, 80% of all ivory came from poached elephants. In 1989 CITES convention on International Trade in endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora banned international trade of ivory to combat this massive illegal trade. The ban helped the poaching issue and some major ivory markets were shut down. Some of the elephant population recovered and the illegal killing has declined. If the nation as a whole continues to ban illegal trades and markets we will be able to stop this horrendous act and hopefully recover the entire elephant population. So if we all bring awareness to the issue and stop buying ivory we can put an end to this horrific situation. Just because elephants cannot talk or fight back does not mean that they are not being hurt.
Elephants are now in danger of becoming a lost species. The demand for ivory and the change in land use pose a huge threat to these beautiful animals. in the early 1970’s the ivory demand skyrocketed, 80% of all ivory came from poached elephants. In 1989 CITES convention on International Trade in endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora banned international trade of ivory to combat this massive illegal trade. The ban helped the poaching issue and some major ivory markets were shut down. Some of the elephant population recovered and the illegal killing has declined. If the nation as a whole continues to ban illegal trades and markets we will be able to stop this horrendous act and hopefully recover the entire elephant population. So if we all bring awareness to the issue and stop buying ivory we can put an end to this horrific situation. Just because elephants cannot talk or fight back does not mean that they are not being hurt.
Andrew M. :Bike Awareness
Artist's Statement
Cyclists are a group that are often overlooked or brushed aside while on the road, and then subsequently blamed for problems that a small amount of vigilance could have prevented. Their invisibility comes from the difference in size from a bike to a car, making them harder to see, but it also is present because they are a minority on the road. People need to learn to coexist with these riders, because no matter how many inflammatory articles are posted online, bikers aren't going away anytime soon.
Cyclists are a group that are often overlooked or brushed aside while on the road, and then subsequently blamed for problems that a small amount of vigilance could have prevented. Their invisibility comes from the difference in size from a bike to a car, making them harder to see, but it also is present because they are a minority on the road. People need to learn to coexist with these riders, because no matter how many inflammatory articles are posted online, bikers aren't going away anytime soon.
Jodi B. : Native Americans
Revealing the Invisible
From my reading of Invisible Man, I have acknowledged other groups of society that have also been considered to be invisible. From the beginning of colonization, Native American’s have been neglected and forced to conform to white supremacist lifestyle and wants. Native Americans have faced many hardships throughout their history such as the trail of tears, westward expansion, Indian Removal Act 1830, Grattan massacre, and false promises of citizenship. These events are the reasons why the scarcity of their existence has remained invisible to other societies. Native Americans have an enriched culture that involves traditional dances, chants, and a deep connection and understanding with nature. Over the years the Native Americans have learned how to adapt with nature, using each natural resource without waste, adopt a language to be able to communicate within another, and construct a polytheistic religion to demonstrate their gratitude for simplistic gifts from nature. The Chumash Reservation host an annually powwow, a Native American celebration featuring dance, feasting, and a blessing by a shaman for an event such as a marriage, a major hunt, or a gathering of nations. However one celebration is not enough to demonstrate a long history of traditions. Since there are already months dedicated to African Americans, Mexican heritage, and jazz, the community should dedicate an entire month to celebrating the Native American’s heritage and tradition.
From my reading of Invisible Man, I have acknowledged other groups of society that have also been considered to be invisible. From the beginning of colonization, Native American’s have been neglected and forced to conform to white supremacist lifestyle and wants. Native Americans have faced many hardships throughout their history such as the trail of tears, westward expansion, Indian Removal Act 1830, Grattan massacre, and false promises of citizenship. These events are the reasons why the scarcity of their existence has remained invisible to other societies. Native Americans have an enriched culture that involves traditional dances, chants, and a deep connection and understanding with nature. Over the years the Native Americans have learned how to adapt with nature, using each natural resource without waste, adopt a language to be able to communicate within another, and construct a polytheistic religion to demonstrate their gratitude for simplistic gifts from nature. The Chumash Reservation host an annually powwow, a Native American celebration featuring dance, feasting, and a blessing by a shaman for an event such as a marriage, a major hunt, or a gathering of nations. However one celebration is not enough to demonstrate a long history of traditions. Since there are already months dedicated to African Americans, Mexican heritage, and jazz, the community should dedicate an entire month to celebrating the Native American’s heritage and tradition.
Julia H. : Teachers
Teachers
The Problem:
During 150 days out of the year, millions of students show up to school, expecting a daily
routine and schedule to be ready for them to use. A common phrase most people tend to hear from students, especially high schoolers, is “I hate school” or “school is the biggest waste of my time”. However, we never stop to think about all the work, dedication, and effort the teachers put into the curriculum. They spend countless hours grading papers and thinking of ways to make learning fun for the students, but no one ever gives the teachers the right amount of appreciation that they deserve. Most jobs have a solid start and finish time during the workday, for example from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., but teachers never have a solid work schedule, and don’t get paid for any extra time they spend outside of the classroom. Even though they are at school from 7 a.m to 3 p.m., they won't ever get paid for the countless hours grading papers at home. They also have a salary that is way too low for the work they put into their job. If it wasn't for teachers, the world would not have new, young, brilliant minds to invent new creations or work in important fields like medicine.
Call to Action:
We must find a way to dedicate our time to appreciate all of the teachers efforts.
Spending one day a month during the school year, completely in honor or the teachers would be a start. Also going to the school administrators and boards to find ways to raise their salaries would also be a good contribution. We all need to step up and find new ways to show the teachers that they have one of the most important jobs in the workplace. Without teachers, the world would not be as advanced as it is to this day. So please, lets all take the time out of our day to do any little thing to help show the teachers that they are very important in our world and are not forgotten about. They might think they are just average citizens, but we all need to prove to them that they have a job that is far beyond important than the average job.
The Problem:
During 150 days out of the year, millions of students show up to school, expecting a daily
routine and schedule to be ready for them to use. A common phrase most people tend to hear from students, especially high schoolers, is “I hate school” or “school is the biggest waste of my time”. However, we never stop to think about all the work, dedication, and effort the teachers put into the curriculum. They spend countless hours grading papers and thinking of ways to make learning fun for the students, but no one ever gives the teachers the right amount of appreciation that they deserve. Most jobs have a solid start and finish time during the workday, for example from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., but teachers never have a solid work schedule, and don’t get paid for any extra time they spend outside of the classroom. Even though they are at school from 7 a.m to 3 p.m., they won't ever get paid for the countless hours grading papers at home. They also have a salary that is way too low for the work they put into their job. If it wasn't for teachers, the world would not have new, young, brilliant minds to invent new creations or work in important fields like medicine.
Call to Action:
We must find a way to dedicate our time to appreciate all of the teachers efforts.
Spending one day a month during the school year, completely in honor or the teachers would be a start. Also going to the school administrators and boards to find ways to raise their salaries would also be a good contribution. We all need to step up and find new ways to show the teachers that they have one of the most important jobs in the workplace. Without teachers, the world would not be as advanced as it is to this day. So please, lets all take the time out of our day to do any little thing to help show the teachers that they are very important in our world and are not forgotten about. They might think they are just average citizens, but we all need to prove to them that they have a job that is far beyond important than the average job.
Philip Z. : The Homeless
The painting that I made is used to represent the invisibility of homeless people in modern society. The rainbow colored lines crossing the path of the silhouette represent the people passing by the person in a hurry. I wanted the person in the middle to be a silhouette because I was trying to represent them as more of an object than human. Many people pass by homeless people every day, trying to avoid confrontation. Homeless people may be viewed as less human by the more fortunate because their lives are so different and unrelatable. Their daily struggle is even more challenging by being viewed as a lesser person compared to a wealthier individual.
The only solution to this problem that I can think of would be to get more people aware of the thoughts and feelings of the homeless. Nobody can be forced into talking to somebody else, but even just acknowledging them as you pass by might make their day a little better. Although many homeless people beg for money and give nothing in return for the donations they receive, they don’t deserve to be judged by those who don’t understand the life that they face daily.
The only solution to this problem that I can think of would be to get more people aware of the thoughts and feelings of the homeless. Nobody can be forced into talking to somebody else, but even just acknowledging them as you pass by might make their day a little better. Although many homeless people beg for money and give nothing in return for the donations they receive, they don’t deserve to be judged by those who don’t understand the life that they face daily.
Thomas I. : Native Americans
In Outsiders’ Eyes
With this piece of artwork, I basically tried to show how Native Americans are seen by other people today. So, I compressed the entire image into the shape of an eye, and then placed symbols of stereotypes within the eye to portray that Native Americans are only seen this way, and may be completely different in reality. I decided to use watercolor pencils and paints because between a wash of the paint and simple lines with the pencils, its possible to create a sort of cave painting feel. Combined with the image within the iris of a tribal dance, I thought the style of the painting helped to convey the primitive view some hold of Native Americans. The dance also, along with the wolf, is supposed to bring to light the misconception that Native Americans are pagan worshippers of Nature or multiple gods, despite that many are Christian or at least have a single powerful deity. Replacing the pupil of the eye is a top view of roulette wheel. This symbolized both how many people believe that all Native American reservations opened up casinos and with that, that ALL Native Americans live on those reservations. Neither of which is true. Maybe a quarter of Native Americans actually live on Reservations. As for casinos, they are not a part of the Native American culture by their choice alone. Because of the rest of the United States, Native Americans were forced into small areas of land and poverty. These casinos are simply a solution to a problem we created. In similar fashion, Native Americans are stereotypically alcoholics, which I depicted with the silhouette of someone drinking in the bottom of the iris. But again, that is something they were driven to by other people, as being forced out of their homes and into poverty creates hardship and incentive to drink. Even then, white males still have a higher likelihood than native Americans of consuming alcohol often. This point especially proves how they are seen as something they are not, and how others are not seen as something they are; all of which proves we need to strive to see everybody individually.
With this piece of artwork, I basically tried to show how Native Americans are seen by other people today. So, I compressed the entire image into the shape of an eye, and then placed symbols of stereotypes within the eye to portray that Native Americans are only seen this way, and may be completely different in reality. I decided to use watercolor pencils and paints because between a wash of the paint and simple lines with the pencils, its possible to create a sort of cave painting feel. Combined with the image within the iris of a tribal dance, I thought the style of the painting helped to convey the primitive view some hold of Native Americans. The dance also, along with the wolf, is supposed to bring to light the misconception that Native Americans are pagan worshippers of Nature or multiple gods, despite that many are Christian or at least have a single powerful deity. Replacing the pupil of the eye is a top view of roulette wheel. This symbolized both how many people believe that all Native American reservations opened up casinos and with that, that ALL Native Americans live on those reservations. Neither of which is true. Maybe a quarter of Native Americans actually live on Reservations. As for casinos, they are not a part of the Native American culture by their choice alone. Because of the rest of the United States, Native Americans were forced into small areas of land and poverty. These casinos are simply a solution to a problem we created. In similar fashion, Native Americans are stereotypically alcoholics, which I depicted with the silhouette of someone drinking in the bottom of the iris. But again, that is something they were driven to by other people, as being forced out of their homes and into poverty creates hardship and incentive to drink. Even then, white males still have a higher likelihood than native Americans of consuming alcohol often. This point especially proves how they are seen as something they are not, and how others are not seen as something they are; all of which proves we need to strive to see everybody individually.