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.