Group 3 Summary

By: Karina, Sam, Alex

Feminism in Art

   For the group presentation we choose a theme that we felt was important to associate with the Guerilla Girls which was the readings for that week. The Guerilla Girls are resistance group that protest the inequality women have in the art world and in general. Their form of resistance included humorous but mocking tactic to target larger key issues among women.  However, my group decided to introduce the process of the resistance women had to go through up to where we are now a days with groups like Guerilla Girls that can approach it differently. We introduced feminism in a brief manner to allow the class to have some background when reading about Guerilla Girls. By presenting the different waves of feminism we allowed to present the difference types of resistance.

One of many examples of Guerrilla Girls

During the first wave of feminism had women fighting for basic civil rights, they were limited to owning property, executing wills or signing documents, voting in elections, refusing to have sex with their husbands, attending university, having legal custody of their children and even divorcing their husbands. The first group of women fighting for their right  believed in achieving change through parliamentary means and used lobbying techniques to persuade Members of Parliament sympathetic to their cause to raise the issue of women's suffrage in debate on the floor of the House. They were mocked and named suffragettes but ended up being the name for their resistance and who they were. Like the Guerilla Girls have been criticized for what they do, the suffragettes were ridiculed, and negativity talked and made fun of in media which was just newspapers at the time. The suffragettes were mocked because at the time it was widely feared that if women gained suffrage, it would begin to corrupt the patriarchal ideology of gender difference and the roles of the family within society. Similarly, guerilla girls do the same in presenting their argument they attack tradition of patriarch inthe museums that has existed for years and demand for change.

Example of propaganda against the Womens act in the first wave

  In the second wave of feminism, women of color, specially African American women were fighting for equality during the Civil Rights movement during the 50s and 60s. In this period, black women could not enter the same public spaces with white people such as schools, public transportation, interracial marriage and places of business. Another goal was to get rid of the workplace equality women were facing. During the 60s women were limited to housewife duties such as chores and and cleaning for majority of the week. In reference to the Guerilla Girls, a lot of women took parts in occupying public spaces. For days perhaps weeks at a time, a lot of women of all color protested and performed sit-ins where many of them would get arrested and sent to jail.

The most radical thing I found was the Sexual Revolution. A lot of women started to question their roles and revolted against it. Women are not obligated to find a husband, get married and have kids. In fact, feminists argued that single women can have the same sexual desires as married woman and that they should have a place in society. A radical way to revolt was using the Birth Control Pill as it was introduced in the 60s. Taking the birth control pill is an act of defiance and shows that women are in control of their bodies and that men should never have a say in that.

Going into the topic of 3rd wave feminism, we discussed how feminism has currently been used in mass media, such as music and television. Positive women representation is something that has always been lacking in media. Similar to what the Guerilla Girls have fought for, Women usually need to be sexualized to be see in a grander light.

Women are seen for their bodies rather then heard for their thoughts. This is something that the Guerilla Girls have tried to fight against for awhile. 3rd wave feminism is arguably one of the most well known, solely because it was the time of mass communication with the internet so many different movements. The music industry began to get involved in the ‘independant women’ movement, because it was becoming more understood that women should be able to do whatever they please. Artists such as Beyonce, Gwen Stefani, Queen latifah, and Pink to name a few, became the voice to an entire generation of women and girls during the 90s to the mid 2000s. Media in television also began coming into the spotlight with bringing up feminist ideas in shows and movies but most notably animation.  

The spread of feminism and questions of a woman's place in society has now made its mark, although typically small, in mass media with not only music but animation as well. Shows like the Simpsons introduced the world to a new type of feminism with their characters like Lisa Simpson and Marge Simpson. Lisa gave an entire the generation the representation that girls are be smart too, the Simpsons also did not sexualize many of their female characters, keeping the playing field level. 3rd wave feminism began to give girls the courage to be themselves without being sexualied, to join groups such as S.T.E.M.

Please see attached for more information !

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1v0MguQ_T4Z3sN6Nvp1F6nb2T5LzPMyDn6kChQQQYcjI/edit#slide=id.p

Rosabi Pena Garcia
Activism and History Writing Assignment
12/14/18

Gaku Tsutaja uses reeds, branches, wire net, Spanish moss, wood, paper, clay, Indian ink, canvas cloth, net, and string to explores issues of national identity and the trauma of disaster. Her sculpture is called "The Project to Dismantle the Enola Gay." In her sculpture, the Hiroshima bomber, Enola Gay, is exorcised by flocks of parakeets. Tsutaja is of Japans decent and dedicated this piece to her country's trauma and suffering. She addresses this socio-political issue using parakeets because these birds are an invasive species in America and a metaphor for immigration in this piece. A plane is placed in the center (representing Enola Gay) as a net is hovering over him. The plane is surrounded and confined by gates. Around the gates are pictures of Hiroshima that serve as a reminder to Enola Gay. On the branches are hundreds of parakeets looking down at the plane. There are so many birds it almost looks like an invasion. This piece connects to my project in the sense of revenge. Tsutaja puts the bomber in the center of the piece. He is the one to blame and he is at fault for the tragedy. In my project I look institutional racism in higher education. Although there is not a particular person to blame, there is a group at fault, the ignorant population of white America. The cause for disparity in the education system traces back in history. From gentrification, blacks and hispanics were forced to live in these low-income areas because that was all that money could buy. The wages were low and many competing for jobs, did not get the job. In the sculpture, the parakeets would represent all minority students rising above watching the destruction of white America.

Roger Shimomura addresses sociopolitical issues related to ethnicity in his piece, "American Guardian." He spent two years of his early childhood inside a concentration camp located in Idaho. This was during World War II when the US held concentration camps for Japanese immigrants, including Japanese-Americans. The medium he used for his piece was lithography. He depicts his childhood inside these camps from the point of view of a guard. The guard's gun is pointed at a child riding his tricycle. The camps are surrounded in barbed wire with heavy clouds of smoke above the homes and guard towers making it hard to see. The sky looks dim and everyone else is inside their homes. It's a sad depiction of Shimomura's childhood, he wasn't able to enjoy the simple things. The US criminalized Japanese immigrants during World War II forcing them to lose several personal items and their homes. Even children were imprisoned in these camps, which wouldn't be tolerated today...until Donald Trump. This relates to my project in the aspect of isolation. The Japanese immigrants were isolated from the rest of the population and stripped from their person items and belongings. This refers back into history when slavery was the economic fuel. Although there weren't concentration camps for blacks, America successfully isolated the black population through the economy, justice system, education system, work, and politics. Institutionalized racism became a way for whites to oppress minorities without physically owning them. This art piece reminds me of the institutionalized racism that occurs in the US that many of white America don't notice or are to ignorant to notice. The clouds of smoke would represent their perspective being blocked and the guards represent white America pointing guns at the innocent child (minorities).

Nina Katchadourian uses humor and playful themes in her portraits. This self-portrait is called "Self-Portrait as Sir Ernest Shackleton." Katchadourian dresses as explorer Ernest Shackleton with a full mustache. This looks like your ordinary mustache until you look closely for a better perspective. In fact these are real caterpillars! Getting them to stay still was a challenge, she uses honey to keep the caterpillars in one place. In seeing power, "Inside a space of becoming, there are transversal methods that allow for the capacity for a person to change." Katchadourian is doing something different, most artists would use this eccentric twist on a self-portrait. She has found her space of becoming, she is using different approaches, allowing for her work to change.

Activism and History

My project was based on representing the underrepresented in the dance community. Minorites are still struggling to get the same opportunities in the dance world as other Caucasian people. The gallery exhibition "Persistence of History" by Dr.Midori Yoshimoto contained works of art that taught different aspects of history/ self preservation. One of the projects that I really liked was "Self Portrait" by Nina Katchadourian, which displayed a picture of herself with caterpillars on her lip to signify a mustache. She explains that crossdressing often seems unnatural, but the caterpillars on her upper lip signify nature itself. This piece is satirical and it relates to my project because the roots from where dance came from, is from African/Caribbean culture. Why do Caucasians get to be the faces of professional dance companies when dance came from minorities and their culture?




    The next piece from the gallery that caught my attention was the "Trade Canoe: The Dark Side" by Jaune Quick to See Smith shows a canoe and a army officer on one side and a Native American warrior on the opposite side. The side where the Native American is seen, shows colorful schemes in the backround which represent their culture and peaceful way of life. The opposite side of the canoe is much darker and the colors seem like they are bleeding, which represents the mass murders that occurred during colonization by the English. Colonization has taken many lives and wiped away culture and history that can never be attained again. This piece is relevant to my project because dance is a way to represent a certain type of culture by their music and the way they move. That is why it is so important for minorities to be given the opportunity to express themselves and their culture.





    This last piece called "American Guardian" by Roger Shimomura shows a soldier watching over a concentration camp that interned Japanese Americans during World War II. The soldier seems to be looking over at a young child riding his/her bike around. The child is clearly harmless and so were the other thousands of people who were United States citizens and were placed into these camps. The artist was taken to one of these camps in his early years of childhood and tells his story through art and actual history. Minorities have to go through daily struggles by being judged incorrectly because of stereotypes, and this goes hand in hand with the message I am trying to spread with my project. These unfair treatments can grow into much more severe problems if we don't open our minds and stop judging people based on superficial information.

Chapter 3: Ready to Wear (Interventionists)

Kimberly Lamadieu

Professor Cacoilo

Art 263

December 12, 2018

                                                           Quotes

"YOMANGO lifestyle consists of shoplifting as a form of social disobedience and direct action against multinational corporation" (p. 76). "As a particular part of their struggle, YOMANGO promotes the tactics of illegality and in particular, stealing." This quote made me question why is this a movement and how did it start? I think this movement is for people who are not treated equally at work.To some this movement can only be seen as a way to shoplift and taking what they cannot afford. On the other hand, YOMANGO sees it as taking back what's theirs or returning it to the owner. I find YOMANGO's approach and purpose meaningful but risky.This reminds me of the documentary "Made in L.A." It's about three Latina immigrants with different stories to how and why they traveled to L.A, working in a sweatshop. The three women filed a lawsuit and boycott "Forever 21" for basic labor protections. The low pay and horrible conditions of working in a factory went on for years until they were finally heard. Lawsuits were distributed back and forth, and the women continued to bring people together and boycott "Forever 21" stores around the country. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtQ1qMuuL60

Final Project

Rosabi Pena Garcia
Final Project Presentation
Professor Cacoilo
12/05/18

Institutionalized Racism in Ivy Leagues

Institutionalized racism is a form of racism expressed in the practice of social and political institutions. It is also racism expressed in the practice of social and political issues. Education was always an important skill to have. My mom always pushed for me and my sister to do good in school. She taught us how to work hard for anything we wanted. If I ever wanted the latest phone, she always made me pay for a portion of it. And when I wanted to go out with friends, I had to finish whatever responsibilities that were at home. She wanted us to work hard to teach us the greatest lesson in life. Hard work really does pay off. I take this very lesson and apply it to different situations in life. I applied this lesson to school. I always made sure my sister and I were going to be set for college with no tuition to pay. When I was helping my sister apply to her dream schools I realized that it was going to takes more than hard work. But what if no matter how hard you worked the system was always against you because of your race. 

Columbia's Racial Makeup:

Yale's Racial Makeup:

Columbia University is a very diverse school for an ivy league. I was really impressed with the racial makeup in the school. After hosting several interviews with student, a lot of them shared common points. The lack of diversity within the faculty. Many of the interviewees shared the disappointment when a white professor would teach ethics and morals of people in the middle east when that professor hasn't experienced it first hand. Another point shared was the lack of supplies for low income students. Columbia enrolls a several low income students but don't supply them with the tools they need such as book vouchers or affordable/flexible meal plans. They are left behind their fellow classmates and struggles for supplies. About more than half of the school pay the tuition in full amount or close to it. These are usually upper middle class families that can afford the $80,000 tuition (per year). Theses students don't really have to worry about their next meal or how to pay for a book because they have a support system. 

This issue stems from the wealth gap in America which involves race. Since the beginning of slavery, America has been trying to oppress people of color. In every single fashion, whites have used different forms of slavery to ensure their hierarchy will not be affected. And that their image will not be tainted. Throughout history blacks and hispanics have been criminalized for minor charges or at times for no logical reason. Approximately 90% of inmates incarcerated haven't been given a trial. A majority of this population are black or hispanic and are too poor to get bail money. 

An author that connects to this issue would be Bell Hooks. In "Understanding Patriarchy", she writes "We cannot demand for men the right to be whole, to be givers and sustainers of life...they are imprisoned by a system that undermines their mental health." I applied this quote to my topic and looked at it from a different perspective. Society has imprisoned the minds of minorities. It has corrupted them into this ideology. Many minorities don't go into higher education because they were kept out and were threatened by white America. They are pushed out of their homes (gentrification) into poverty stricken areas and forced to go into poverty stricken schools. And that is all they had to work with. Ivy leagues were initially only made for white male America, minorities just started attending these schools. Although we have come a long way, they still much more to go.

I conducted interviews with minority students at Columbia University. In between photos I displayed different artworks and statistics on this topic.  I created a tumblr blog on this issue. I discuss racial demographics in different ivy leagues, the history behind it, current news, and lets viewers submit their experiences or thoughts. I also did a couple interviews with minority students attending Columbia University. They share their experience and hardships they deal with. I plan on continuing these interviews in different schools to see the differences and similarities. I also plan on endorsing the page more to receive different stories from students all over the country.

https://www.tumblr.com/blog/poisonedivyleague

References:

• https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/politics/ct-harvard-affirmative-action-20170806-story.html
• https://www.thenation.com/article/for-students-of-color-ivy-league-schools-have-a-long-way-to-go/
• https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/education-postsecondary/reports/2018/05/23/451186/neglected-college-race-gap-racial-disparities-among-college-completers/

Short Writing Assignment: Complaint

To whom it may concern:

Why are children being forced into marriage? Why aren't women being heard when reporting a form of violence? Children should be able to have a say in what their future will look like. There are children attempting and committing suicide. Setting themselves on fire to avoid punishment within the marriage. Are the children safe with whom they're marrying? I don't think so. What about education and having a childhood? Not to mention, females are not treated equally like males are. For years women have been limited, thanks to patriarchy. The least that could be done is hearing women out when speaking on issues that are life-threatening. No, victims of domestic violence cannot just deal with it. The violence, oppression, and inequality towards females must stop. If you do not do something about this issue, there will be protests and marches held. Also, if a male is reading this, please give this letter of complaint to a female. 

Sincerely,

An Advocate

Activism & History

For my project, I am discussing girls/women and violence. The issue I am focusing on is domestic violence, the different forms of violence and the root of it. It starts with oppression, inequality, and patriarchy. This topic is usually avoided and not acknowledged unless it involved murder. The art piece below is called, “Hear No Evil, See No Evil, Speak No Evil”, by Carly Stafford. You see there are three women with different ethnicities but experiencing the same issue. The first females to the left look scared and have a mark on her nose and bottom lip, the second female looks cornered and is blindfolded with a bruise on her cheek, and the last woman has been silenced with a black eye and a bruise on her neck. Domestic violence has become the norm in my opinion. It’s normal to abuse a female when they do not obey their partner. This is tearing away their rights as a human being. Women are not valued and their education is not seen as important. They are valued for how they look, not what they can do. How I plan to approach this issue is by raising awareness and suggestions on how to cope with the aftermath of violence.

Carly Stafford's piece, "Hear No Evil, See No Evil, Speak No Evil"

The Persistence of History consists of art pieces that teach aspects of history. The first piece I choose from the exhibition is the “Trade Canoe: The Dark Side” by Jaune Quick-to-See Smith. This piece shows two people with different ethnicities and backgrounds, General George Armstrong Custer and Tonto. In between the two you see the solar eclipse, a rainbow beam, bones and bodies of victims. The rainbow is shining on Tonto, and the solar eclipse is facing General George Armstrong Custer. Yet the mountain is much higher that is near General Custer than Tonto. From this piece I see bad versus good, lives and possibly animals that are caught in between the trade. The Native Americans identity are being taken away from them by force. This is a sign of oppression and the thirst of gaining more power by any means necessary. “We understand particular cultural references and we are in cahoots with a certain common sensibility that motivates our action. We gain a sense of how the game is played, and we play it well, for the purpose of gaining more power” (Thompson). It does not matter how power is achieved as long as it is obtained. Do you think power and violence are the same things? Power is used to make people obey, and those who do not have the ability to make people obey uses violence in order to gain power. People use this strategy for many things. “Power is thus not purely a financial situation, but one coded in the manner in which we speak, walk, and breathe" (Thompson).

Tade Canoe: The Dark Side

The second piece I choose from the exhibition is Christy Georg’s project called “Untitled (Sailor Saddle). In the description of her piece, it says she explores parallels between the sailor and the cowboy. Behind her piece, Christy Georg is said to be an experienced sailor, backpacker, and explorer. She is very adventurous and not your typical idea of what women should be doing with her time. I thought what society would think of her piece and character as a whole. Gender roles play a huge part in today’s world. “Time and again, I have seen the potent merger of art and activism transform people’s understanding of politics- and their relationship with the world” (Thompson). Gender stereotype has an effect on children, making them believe that appearance is much more important than achievements and character. Women are not limiting themselves anymore. They are not identifying and embedding the stereotypes that are made for them. Gender inequality is an ongoing issue people from around the world are experiencing. From women not having the right to vote to women and girls not having access to education. 

Untitled (Sailor Saddle)

The last piece I choose is by Nina Katchadourian. I liked the idea of how she used caterpillars as a mustache. To keep the caterpillars from crawling and roaming her face, she applied honey on her upper lip where the mustache was created. Another piece of hers, using caterpillars, that grabbed my attention is called, “Quit Using Us”. “Rather than telling people exactly what I think, the art experience becomes a platform for a dialogue, even if its solely an internal dialogue” (Interventionists). This piece spoke to me in a way that could advocate for females to speak out. Quit using gender roles to force identities upon people. Quit using oppression to have control. Quit embedding patriarchy upon others as if it is the correct way of living.

Self Portrait as Sir Ernest Shackleton

                                                                    Work Cited: 

• https://www.yourobserver.com/article/the-art-of-equality-embracing-our-differences-fills-sarasota-bayfront-with-art
• Friedman, Nick. “The Art of Equality: Embracing Our Differences Fills Sarasota Bayfront with Art | Arts and Entertainment.” Your Observer, Your Observer, 10 July 2017, www.yourobserver.com/article/the-art-of-equality-embracing-our-differences-fills-sarasota-bayfront-with-art
• Smith, Jaune. Trade Canoe: The Dark Side. 2017-2018. Canvas. Courtesy of the Lawrence Lithography Workshop, Kansas City.
• Georg, Christy. Untitled (sailor Saddle). 2016. Sculpture. 
• Katchadourian, Nina. Self-Portrait as Sir Ernest Shackleton. 2002. Chromogenic color print. Courtesy of DC Moore, Gallery New York.
• Nina Katchadourian, www.ninakatchadourian.com/uninvitedcollaborations/quitusingus.php.

Activism & History Writing Assignment

Anthony Gomez

Activism & History Writing Assignment

Professor Cacoilo

Modern art is not always given the same value or considered on the same spectrum with "history painting." In the Persistence of history exhibition many artist think of themselves as teaching aspects of history through their art. Creating art might seem fun and all but the real truth about it is that it's expensive. Many modern day artist that are trying to make a name for themselves often take lots of risks in order to pursue their dreams and make a living. A couple of artist that intrigued me during the exhibition tour by Dr. Yoshimoto are Debra Priestly, Gaku Tsutaja, and Roger Shimomura.

Debra Priestly's display (Mattoon 5) is very fascinating in the way she uses canning jars to preserve history. According to Dr. Yoshimoto, Debra actually created a couple of the jars seen in the image below while using pictures of her own family members. Priestly's display offers close stories about her personal and collective African American history through the metaphorical use of images kept in a bunch of canning jars. Mattoon 5 is displayed in a acrylic, photo transfer, ink, resin on wood at 80 by 24 inches. 

The sculpture The Project to Dismantle the Enola Gay by Gaku Tsutaja also caught my attention as soon as I walked into the exhibit because the sculpture had these tree branch like things sticking out with a humongous spider hanging from the bottom. I became even more fascinated once I learned the true meaning behind this fine piece of art. The Enola Gay is the Boeing B- 29 airplane that dropped the horrific atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, in 1945. This sculpture shows the side of two worlds. When Gaku Tsutaja went to the Smithsonian museum and saw the bomber displayed she was in shock that the label didn't have much information on how many people died in Hiroshima. She was also upset that the airplane was displayed as everything but negative. Ever since her visit to the museum she was inspired to make the piece of art below in which a group of parakeets are dismantling the Enola Gay. This piece of art is very significant because it speaks out loud for a lot of people who fell victim to this tragic airplane. I can relate this to my final project this semester because even though student loans isn't as bad as the tragedies caused by the Boeing B-29 it still has an affect on people for them and future generations. Student loans debt is the worst type of debt to get yourself into. Most people don't realize this but it is almost impossible to make student debt disappear even if you go bankrupt. Student debt is a different type of debt that can pass on to others and if you miss nine payments after graduation the federal government can confiscate wages, tax refunds, and even social security checks until the loan is repaid. 

 Roger Shimomuras, The Guardian illustrates a group of images created based on his family's detention during World War II. Shimomura utilizes notes from his grandmothers diary along with his own as an inspiration. Most of Shimomuras paintings, prints, and theater pieces target sociopolitical issues based on ethnicity. The Guardian shows a soldier patrolling an interment camp, during and after World War II many Japanese American citizens lost their constitutional rights. The picture below conveys that nobody is really safe in the internment camp portrayed, not even if you're a kid riding a bike minding your own business. This picture also includes irony since it was named "American Guardian". Shimomura uses irony to hint what it felt like to be a Japanese American in an interment camp while constantly being "Guarded" by American soldiers. I can relate the art work below to my project of student loan debt because many people when they graduate college feel trapped due to all the amount of money they owe. Most people take out thousands of dollars in loans in order to attend the university of their choice and end up regretting when they don't nearly make as much money than what they took out. It almost feels like you're in a "camp" constantly being monitored and the only way of escaping this camp is by paying everything you owe back. One quote from the interventionist that I can relate to my project is "The state of having time at one's own disposal. Opportunity funded by freedom from occupations." (Chapter 4) because many college students don't have time at their disposal. Many college students have jobs apart from taking out thousands in loans in order to afford paying for school. This gives many people a disadvantage because it doesn't allow them to excel in school. I remember in the spring semester of 2018 I was taking 19 credits as a freshman and working about 50 hours a week in order to pay for school. I noticed this affected me a lot because I wasn't able to really focus on school compared to my other classmates who didn't have to work at all. My second quote from Seeing Power is "No conversation about social capital is complete with a reckoning with money. We live after all in a world that out the possibility of making money in exchange for cultural production." This quote is very important because nowadays in order to be successful you have to have some type of money which is many people take out loans. For example, the average person doesn't have enough money to start a business by themselves, buy a house, or even pay for college. My third quote from seeing power is "Social capital is extraordinarily seductive, allowing, as it does, a person to climb the rungs of hipness, importance, and status." This quote is basically implying that anyone who goes to college and receives an education will be able to succeed in life. What people don't realize is that the real world is very competitive and you are not always guaranteed a job. This then forces people to reinvest in school and get a second degree in order to stand out. Social capital can be very tempting which is why its very easy to end up lost and confused.

Group 5 Presentation Summary: Angelo, Kimberly, Valerie

The Yes Men are a group of activists that advocate for change. By doing this, they create plans using the media that are unusual but grabs people attention forcing you to listen to what's going on in the world. How so? The Yes Men create fake websites to expose the truth and partner with organizations. For example, one of their first pranks was the satirical "website www.gwbush.com", established for the 2000 US presidential election to draw attention to alleged hypocrisies on Bush's actual website. When asked about the site in a press conference on May 21, 1999, Bush responded that the website had gone too far in criticizing him. In 2004, the Yes Men went on tour posing as the group "Yes, Bush Can!" and encouraged supporters to sign a "Patriot Pledge" agreeing to keep nuclear waste in their backyards and send their children off to war. They appeared at the 2004 Republican National Convention and drove across the country at first in an RV with a George W. Bush body wrap, and then in a painted van. When asked at a news conference in May what he thought about the site, Bush let loose, saying it was produced by a "garbage man" and suggesting that "there ought to be limits to freedom"--a line Bush's online critics have vowed to never let the world forget. By then, Bush's lawyers had warned Exley that he faced a lawsuit for his Web site's use of photos lifted from the copyrighted official Bush campaign site.



Another example of an issue that the Yes Men gave a spotlight to was in Federick, Maryland. Ft. Detrick has been producing and destroying chemical and biological weapons. This has caused an astronomically high cancer rate for the residents of Frederick (118 documented cases). In 2015, the first group of ghosts gathered on Halloween, dressed in all white. With help from the Kristen Renee Foundation (a group formed after its namesake passed from brain cancer in 2008), “the group invaded the military base, crashed a Halloween themed historical tour, and haunted downtown Frederick for an hour or two." There is an active lawsuit against Ft. Detrick. The ghost march was created as something that can be done every year; if you print out the flier on The Yes Men’s website, you can participate too! A similar artist based in New York City, a group called "Improv Everywhere." This group stages “positive pranks”, such as several no pants subway rides, random parade leading, and so on. “Improv Everywhere" aims to surprise and delight random strangers through positive pranks.



Another issue the Yes Men approached in 2015 was a drought problem in California. It was clear to them that the people of California were not willing to give up beef and save water. To support the need and want for beef the Yes Men created a fake website, www.skipshowersforbeef.com, that provided tips on how to use less water. The Yes Men partnered with the Courage Campaign, and FunnyorDie.com to create a grassroots “moo-vement”, displayed a video of vegan DJ/musician Moby promoting skipping showers for beef, and an appearance at a Governor Brown event. At the Governor Brown event, people looked confused, curious, found humor in it, or walked out. People are now aware of the droughts and how to fix the problem or continue to add towards it. Similar artist, Aida Sulova is a street artist that uses trash bins as a canvas in Bishkek, to bring attention to a garbage problem that is affecting her community. The Yes Men have numerous pranks and continue to raise awareness of political and social issues in the world.

Activism and History

 Art can have a large impact on society whether it is a painting, drawing or sculpture. It can instill values, bring understanding, and educate the world. The first piece from the exhibition I chose was The Project to dismantle the Enola Gay by Gaku TsutajaThe Enola Gay was one of the most famous B-29 planes that bombed Hiroshima, Japan in 1945, this project connects to my final project because the bombing of Hiroshima is so extreme that it left a negative impact not only on the people but the environment as well. My final project is centered around the lack of attention that has been brought to climate change and pollution. Similar to my final project, The Enola Gay is often looked at by many in the US as a war souvenir as it is on display in an exhibit at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. Despite the beliefs of some the Enola Gay is a constant reminder of one of the most violent acts in history and the Japanese people are constantly remninded. Another connection between this piece of art and my final project is that similar to Climate Change, the negative impacts are often deemed as insignificant or brushed under the rug by many people, Donald Trump to be specific. According to the Gaku tsutaja artist page it states, "The Enola Gay, settled at the Steven F.Udvar-Hazy Center at Dulles International Airport in Washington, D.C., was repainted as she was before the Hiroshima mission. She has existed as a beautiful mannequin until now, without revealing the effects of what she did and saw"("The Project to Dismantle The Enola Gay"). 

   

The next artwork I chose from the exhibition is the "American Storm" by Micheal Oatman, this painting portrays a strom of tires and what seems to be a woman and a man at the very bottom the very bottom enjoying a picnic as if nothing is happening. My interpretation of this image is that despite the natural dissaters happeneing in front of these people (society) they choose to remain ignorant to the fact and blatantly refuse to acknowledge it. In relevance to my final project the two people at the bottom of this image is a depiction of how many people in our society view climate change and the storm is climate and global warming.

Micheal Oatman "American Storm"

My decision to choose the artwork by Roger Shimomura was due to the effect the image add on me and the connection it has with Climate change. In the painting it shows an heavily armed American soldier watching over a camp which seems to be in flames but there's no effort to compress the situation. The connection I made between my final project and the painting below is that despite the major issues at hand people still turn a blind eye to it. In today's political climate looking the other seems to a pattern, where even President Trump doesn't believe in climate change. regardless of the facts and scientific research done to proof that climate change is indeed a problem, many brush it off to the side the same way the soldier in the painting is doing.

Roger Shimomura "American Guardian"

“The Project to Dismantle The Enola Gay.” GAKU TSUTAJA, www.gakutsutaja.net/the-project-to-dismantle-the-enola-gay.html.

Final Project

Babatunde Ogunnaike 

Art 

10/17/18 

  

Climate Action/ Students for change 

Pollution has been an ongoing issue in the world for decades and has only seemed to worsen over time. Pollution is the introduction of harmful substances into the Earth either resulting in air pollution or water pollution. These damages don’t only affect the Earth, but it affects us as well, it can cause severe health problems such as lung cancer, asthma, bronchitis, and a shortened life span. There are many types of pollution ranging from, air pollution, water pollution and land pollution. Air pollution is associated with the contamination of air in the atmosphere that’s important to all living creatures and a necessity to sustain life. Water pollution is the addition of harmful substances to water ranging from chemical, biological and physical materials that worsen the quality of the water which eventually renders it unusable. Land pollution is the destruction of the Earth’s land surface caused by humans, includes dumping of waste and littering. I believe that there could be more done to help reduce pollution and eventually reverse the damage that has been done to the planet.  

  

Climate change is also a result of pollution, it is most often defined by a change in weather patterns at unusual periods of time either lasting for too long or not long enough. I believe there are many more actions that could be put in motion to help bring awareness to it. For starters, I believe climate change and pollution should be taught more in schools, what better way to secure the Earth's future than educating the children of tomorrow on how to maintain it.  

  

“Climate Action” is intended to be a workshop for high school students that teaches them the importance of pollution and climate change.   Teaching students to be socially and environmentally aware is something that some schools lack or don’t have at all. Growing up and in my experience of attending public school, the emphasis on it wasn’t a topic teacher focused on or went into detail. Being a criminal justice major, my goal is to not only have said classes but after school activities for underprivileged students and students have a history of delinquency. This can be an outlet for many students who exhibit delinquency to direct their energy and time into something beneficial and fun. Not only is this workshop intended to equip them with environmental knowledge but to teach them life lessons as well. Regarding students who are labeled as troublesome or have an history of behavior issues I can be a voice or an inspiration for them. Throughout my high school career, I also had own problems with staying out of trouble, from problems in school, with my family and even the police. I can be a voice of understanding for them because I’ve been through the same issues that they faced as well in a sense. Another reason I was inspired to write this paper is more on the environmental standpoint, from my experience in school teachers don't put emphasis if any on climate change and how it's changing the earth. In order for me to get more information on climate change I had to do research as I got older. 

A better way of teaching children or students in general is visually, by implementing the study of environmental artists and their work can be a great way. Several artists like Olga Mercedes, Claude Monet, Chris Jordan, Edith Meusnier, and Nils Udo can inspire students and hopefully encourage them to make a difference whether it’s creatively or not. Olga Mercedes Bautista’s main Interests is re- appropriating nature, it consists in creating new forms by bending organic debris with plastic. A blending process is obtained by bonding layers of the tree bark together. My favorite artist is Chris Jordan, his goal is to open the world's eyes to how easily we destroy the planet.  

  
                                                  

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1DwmnSbb_JmjO0Fc2Jpq6iiYBQIRxvew-ZwSgAdmhGSs/edit?usp=sharing 

“Chris Jordan - Exposing Consumeristic Culture.” Widewalls, www.widewalls.ch/environmental-artists/chris-jordan/.