Acts of Resistance: Activists, Interlopers and Pranksters: Final Semester Project

Tuesday, December 4, 2018

Final Semester Project

Michi Suazo
December 4, 2018
ARTIVIST

When I was either a freshman or sophomore, I took Professor Midori Yoshimoto's Contemporary Art class. I did not know then that I would be introduced to an artist--a woman artist--that would leave a lasting impression on me. I would then, again, have Professor Midori Yoshimoto for Japanese Pop Culture and Art class and the name of the woman artist would again be mentioned. That artist is Yayoi Kusama, the Princess of Polka Dots. In my junior year, the film documentary called Kusama:Infinity would be released and I would headover to the Film Forum in New York to view it. This film opened my eyes about the struggles of artists who are not white, and artists who are not men. Kusama, herself, is both.

Feeling inspired, I used my platform as a Features Editor for the Gothic Times to write an article reviewing the film. Feeling even more animated upon finding out that Professor Midori Yoshimoto partook in the making of the documentary, I emailed her and asked her about the experience of being a part of a biopic about such a successful and well-known artist. I later incorporated her responses into the article which got published online on the Gothic Times website and the second semester issue:

https://gothictimes.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Issue-2-2018_reduced.pdf

Having read tidbits of Confessions of the Guerilla Girls and The Interventionists and some passages from Nato Thompson's Seeing Power as well as being familiar with the term "intersectionality", I decided to use my background as a writer to shed light on women artists whose work incorporates activism. I would later call it Artivism: Spotlighting women activists in the art world. It will be a column in the newspaper which will feature women artists twice a month. I realize I have been doing this for quite a while. I have covered exhibits done by Shoshanna Weinberger, Olga Mercedes Bautista, Deborah Sperry, Gwen Charles, Wendell Jeffrey, Jessica Demcsak, and Joyce Yu-Jean Lee:

https://gothictimes.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Issue-5_reduced.pdf

https://gothictimes.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Issue-6-Final_reduced.pdf

Weinberger's exhibit called The Otherness of Strangefruit heavily dealt with image and self-identity and how one maneuvers spaces where they are less represented, labelled exotic, lackluster or not enough (regarding ethnicity, gender identity and nationality). An exhibit back in April 2018 called Wonderwomen 11: Eye of the storm showcased the work of nine women artists. The subject matter focused on environmentalism such as plastic pollution, climate change, melting ice caps, relocating invasive species due to human intervention and toxic soil. On January 2018, installation artist Joyce Yu-Jean Lee held an exhibit, State of the DysUnion, in the visual arts gallery. Her pieces commented on the effect of various types of media on people. Newspaper clips of headlines of Trump winning Presidency, drone footage of first Women’s March, videos of LA wildfires, and headlines of Hilary Clinton winning Democratic nomination were parts of her work.

https://gothictimes.net/7926/arts/state-of-the-dysunion-by-joyce-yu-jean-lee/

Having accumulated social capital in art spaces thanks to my adviser, Theta Pavis, and Gallery Director, Professor Yoshimoto, as well as having built connections with many students who are in media arts, creative writing, graphic design, photography, I am constantly in-the-know of upcoming events such as developing exhibits and theatre showcases. I still have many more places to get accustomed to such as Mana Contemporary, Museum of Modern Art, and Metropolitan Museum of Art. The world of English majors is very different from the world of art majors but I am sure that we have more in common than the things that separate us.

In the long run, the column can work to include the social media of these artists so viewers can keep updated on their activities, which places they will travel to in order to present their art, etc.

This is the latest issue of the Gothic Times Newspaper. It is also the last issue for the semester of Fall 2018. I was informed by Professor Yoshimoto of an artist who had submitted her work into the Persistence of History Exhibit and who will be visiting the gallery to talk about her work with Yoshimoto's class as well as hold a workshop with them. I wasted no time and attended the artist talk, the workshop, and also interview the artist, Gaku Tsutaja.

https://gothictimes.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Issue-3_2018_reduced.pdf

The Gothic Times has many social platforms I can use to inform readers about my articles such as Twitter, Instagram (I have Instagram, too), Podcast, and of course the website (We have PDFs of every issue). We also have a downloadable app for readers who prefer digital rather than physical. I am currently a junior and until I graduate I will continue to shed light on these artists both on NJCU as well as outside of campus.

Resource List:

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1893269/ (Kusama: Infinity)

Persistence of History Exhibit

Professor Midori Yoshimoto,
Gallery Director of Lemmerman and Visual Arts gallery https://www.instagram.com/njcugalleries/?hl=en

Gaku Tsutaja https://www.instagram.com/gakutsutaja/?hl=en

Professor Doris Cacoilo https://www.instagram.com/ddorrrissss/?hl=en

Theta Pavis, Gothic Times Adviser
Twitter: https://twitter.com/thetapavis?lang=en

Gothic Times https://gothictimes.net/

Confessions of the Guerrilla Girls https://www.amazon.com/Confessions-Guerrilla-Girls-Guerilla/dp/0060950889

Seeing Power https://www.amazon.com/Seeing-Power-Activism-Twenty-first-Century/dp/1612190448/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1543970646&sr=1-1&keywords=seeing+power

The Interventionists https://www.amazon.com/Interventionists-Manual-Creative-Disruption-Everyday/dp/026220150X/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1543970704&sr=1-3&keywords=the+interventionist

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IMPORTANT!! You must post your Activism and History Writing Assignment which was due 11/21 by Friday at 12pm (and if you posted already please reread and edit the post.)

This assignment is worth 15% of your grade!! See below for the assignment details. Be sure to make sure images and image captions appear correctly. Edit your writing. You must cite from the class readings and include a 'works cited' at the bottom of your post. Please reread the assignment in detail and edit your post until Friday 12/14/18 at 12pm at the absolute latest. I will be grading/re-grading these on Friday afternoon. This is your last chance to get credit for this assignment.

IMPORTANT: FOR GROUP PRESENTATIONS YOU MUST PUT A SUMMARY ON THE BLOG - if your group has not put a summary of your presentation (with a few images) on the blog - please do so asap. it is a part of your grade! One summary per group.

Due Wednesday 12/5

FINAL SEMESTER PROJECT

*due on the blog by 11:00pm on 12/4

Mapping Social/Cultural Hot Topics and Interventions: Art, Movements and Civic Action

The goal of this assignment is to get you to take a stand on a significant issue related to the course material and then to highlight and support a past or current act of resistance. In order to be a conscientious participant in community and society, one must attend the current events and important social/political struggles of current times. Race relations, gender equality, social justice, health care, reproductive rights, privacy, corporate regulation, marriage equality, religious tolerance, LGBT rights, etc. are all examples of issues citizens have engaged in acts of opposition and resistance, using any number of creative strategies.

From the database of current events and social issues that we have been discussing during the course, choose an issue, artist, movement or citizen action that exemplifies an act of resistance as we have outlined throughout the semester. Using one (or more) of the readings and resources we have used as a way to make a critical argument, create a writing project that encourages or supports the artist or movement and presents their work to a larger audience. Make a case for why this act of resistance is important, timely and worth engaging in and promoting. Be sure to research extensively and thoughtfully in choosing and supporting your artist or movement. Be sure that your project coincides with your own political motivations, ideas and your professional ambitions.

Consider and research extensively and thoughtfully the history and development of the issue you have chosen. The themes and topics of the course have had a recurring history of friction within America’s culture and institutions.You will need to describe and explain the strategies that have been used and are now being used to engage this issue currently and explain how the example you have chosen to highlight fits into the larger issue. The writing project can take the form of an online article, an essay, a blog, a website, tumblr, or even a podcast. Students can present ideas outside of this list if they would like to propose other ways of presenting their writing for this assignment. All students will propose their final projects at midterm and must have their project topic approved by the professor.

In addition to the writing project, each student will do an oral presentation, with visual support materials that summarizes your project. Be prepared to facilitate a discussion with your peers by preparing questions that will be topics of discussion.

INSTRUCTIONS: Be prepared to present your projects to the class in approximately 4 minute presentations. Visuals are a must. Feel free to bring physical props and handouts if appropriate. Remember you are ”pitching” the project to the class. Prepare a succinct and exciting summary of the project that is clear and makes the class want to look further at your project and potentially share the project, promote it and even get involved!

You must create a POST for your final project on the class blog. These must be completed and posted before 12/4 11:00pm. The post must include a link to your project, a clear and well written summary, images and/or videos. You will present from your post. Your project must live in the world (online or not) but all components of your project and presentation must link from the blog post somehow. Your resource list/bibliography must be included in your post or handed in to the professor.

_____________________

Due Wednesday 11/28

WORK ON YOUR SEMESTER PROJECTS!!

Last chance to get feedback on these before final presentations on 12/5.

READINGS:

Chapter 3 Ready to Wear pg. 97-108 Interventionists

Chose one artist and two quotes from the reading that you find inspiring/interesting. be prepared to discuss these in class!

Groups 7 and 8 present

two tweets #actsofresistanceAIP

_________________

Due Wednesday 11/21

Groups 4 and 6 present

**If you are missing a member of the group who might be traveling make sure they participate in some way -either Skype or video or some other creative way that they can be included! Get creative and make something fun!

READINGS:

Chapter 2 Reclaiming the Streets pg. 63-94 Interventionists

Chapter 3 Infrastructures of Resonance pg 55-82 AND Chapter 7 Occupying Space 147-164

Seeing Power

Post 2/3 - Activism and History Writing Assignment - connecting to your final project

Please recall your gallery visit to the exhibition Persistence of History and curator's tour of the exhibition by Dr. Midori Yoshimoto. Choose 3 projects in the exhibition that are connected to your own semester project in some way.

Using the 'Interventionists' and 'Seeing Power' text books as resources focus some research on the socio-political issue and activism techniques that you are addressing and using in your final project. Then connect these to the 3 projects you have chosen from the exhibition. Please write a short description of each of the projects you have chosen. What are the subjects, messages and media of the works? How do the artists address socio-political subjects in the exhibited pieces? Please describe how the work addresses these issues and how the work exists inside of a political and capitalist structure while critiquing it? Please reference your readings from class. How does the exhibition touch upon issues of art, power and activism? How can you connect the exhibition of these works to issues of social and cultural capital and the dialogue of history, power and representation? Please use the readings to help connect your own project to the major themes of activism, art and history.

Be sure to address: How do the exhibited projects connect to your own project thematically in message or in form? What medium/media do they use? How do they engage an audience? Why are these challenges/critiques to these issues important? How is activism in art different from political activism outside of the art world? Is it? Use the readings extensively to help describe these projects, their critique of power and capitalist patriarchy and their place in a cultural and political landscape.

~1200 words. You must include at least 4 quotes/citations from the class readings and 6 images with captions

*Please REVIST the exhibition if needed for images, more information and a deeper understanding/analysis of the works.

two tweets #actsofresistanceAIP

________________________

MIDTERM DUE 10/31 and continued on 11/7

Many of you have lots to research and many decisions to make. Please research your topic, look at many examples of other things made to address this topic: movies, websites, books, articles. Find as much as you can in order to help you carve out exactly what you want to make your project about and HOw you will share this information with your audience.. FOCUS your idea as much as possible. Think carefully about why YOU want to make this project, who are you making it for (your audience or perceived audience), what is the message or purpose, what other art or activism projects exist that might be inspiring or helpful for your own project. READ, search online, talk to friends and colleagues Think hard and thoughtfully so you can propose a project that you actually want to make! There are many exciting ideas in the group! Now go figure out what kick-ass projects you can make with these ideas and go make them! Research, read, look, talk, ask, visit until you find the inspiring piece - go go go!

You must present the goals for your semester project in class in a short 3 minute presentation. Think of this as a “pitch” to a group of peers or investors. This proposal (finalized by 10/31 on the class blog) and your in-class presentation will be graded as your midterm grade.

**You will use your proposal post to present in class. Be sure to include images and links as appropriate. If you would like to make a short slide (powerpoint) presentation please be sure that you upload the presentation to the web or make it using a web application like Prezi and link this from your post. You can bring a USB drive only as a backup solution. You will not be able to plug in a USB drive for presentations unless it is a last resort.

EDIT YOUR PROPOSAL ON THE BLOG

A project topic proposal (~800 words) and a bibliography and/or research sources list must be posted on to the blog with images. Please clearly present what you plan to make for your project. What is the main topic of your project? Why you have chosen this topic? What is your message for the audience? How will you reach an audience (ie "publish" the project)? How can an audience engage with the project? How does this project fit into your professional aspirations and your portfolio? Your project should be informed by research. Please dive into the subject of your work and also other projects that may be inspirational and in dialogue with your project. Please list all resources that will inform your project so far in a resource list at the end of your proposal.

Good luck!

Due Wednesday 10/24

READINGS: Chapter 5 and 6 Seeing Power in Spaces pg 107-146

Seeing Power

Chapter 1 Nomads pgs. 25-60 Interventionists

ON THE BLOG: 2 quotes from each chapter and choose one artist/group from the readings or elsewhere that you feel helps illustrate some of the themes about power, social and cultural capital.

Work on your semester project ideas: Research the topic, look for other projects that work to address the same issue or use similar methods that you want to use and begin to create a list of resources. Next week we will spend some time discussing project proposals which are due on the blog and to be presented in class on 10/31 as your midterm. See below for details due for the midterm.

two tweets #actsofresistanceAIP

Group 4 presents

___________________

Due Wednesday 10/17

READINGS:

Chapter 4 Seeing Through the Haze of Social and Cultural Capital pg 83-106, Seeing Power

The Absurd and Outrageous Trial of Pussy Riot, The New Yorker,

https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/the-absurd-and-outrageous-trial-of-pussy-riot

2 Quotes from each reading

Work on your semester project ideas: Research the topic, look for other projects that work to address the same issue or use similar methods that you want to use and begin to create a list of resources.

Short writing assignment:

Think about your semester project as a "complaint" as awareness raising and also as a protest. Frame your topic as a "complaint" in a short piece of writing. Then begin to craft a way of addressing this with a solution - that will become your project.

two tweets #actsofresistanceAIP

Group 3 presents

_____________________

Due Wednesday 10/10

READINGS:

Confessions of the Guerrilla Girls pgs 7-95 (the whole book) **if you did not obtain the book look through the Guerrilla Girls website extensively and complete the quotes from the site.

2 quotes from the book and choose two of the Guerrilla Girls' projects and describe them in a short paragraph each.

Semester Project Topic due

Think about your semester project. Read the project description on our syllabus and note any questions you may have about the assignment. Please write 1 or more ideas you are considering for your project topic. We will be discussing the project assignment in class. You must hand in your proposed topic or short list of project ideas with short descriptions of why and how you would like to make this project. You can just write these out on a piece of paper or, more preferably, type them and bring them to class. Please remember to include the ways that you plan to share this with an audience. Remember that these projects must exist in the world OUTSIDE of our class. How can you share these and engage an audience to impact their awareness of your topic?

**A longer project topic proposal (~2 pages) and bibliography/research sources list will be due for MIDTERM on 10/24 printed and handed in to me and posted on to the blog. You will be presenting the goals for your project in class in short 2-3 minute presentations on 10/31 HALLOWEEN! This proposal and presentation will be graded as your midterm. Your completed project is due at the end of the semester and will be presented in class as your final semester project.

GROUP 2 presents

two tweets #actsofresistanceAIP

_________________

Due Wednesday 10/3

READINGS:

Seeing Power, Introduction
and
Interventionists, Anarchy in the Ruins pg 143-146 and Encyclopedia Entries pg 147-154

REVIEW READINGS:

Chapter 1 and 2 pg 3-54

Seeing Power

Chapter 4 The Experimental University pg 111-132

Interventionists

GROUP 1 presents

two tweets #actsofresistanceAIP

______________

Due Wednesday 9/26

READINGS:

Chapter 1 and 2 pg 3-54

Seeing Power

Chapter 4 The Experimental University pg 111-132

Interventionists

two tweets #actsofresistanceAIP

____________________

Due Wednesday 9/19

GET THE BOOKS!! Next week you will have readings due from both books.

READING ON BLACKBOARD:

bell hooks, Understanding Patriarchy (+2 quotes (or more) from the reading)

REVIEW: the readings from last week - see below (bring your quotes back to class)

Additional response to the bell hooks reading: Define Patriarchy as per the bell hooks reading. Then through online or other research find an artist/art project who addresses and challenges the status quo, patriarchy, and its systemic power and dominance. Write a short description of the art project and bring it to class in addition to your quotes. You can share this project on twitter or on the blog if you wish.

two tweets #actsofresistanceAIP

__________________

Due 9/12

READINGS

John Berger Ways of Seeing Ch7 on BLACKBOARD

Susan Sontag excerpt from On Photography

http://www.susansontag.com/SusanSontag/books/onPhotographyExerpt.shtml

Intro

Who do you think you are?

What is your role in media consumption, critique and/or media making. How much of who you are is measured against media examples and images? How much of our common experience involves shared mass media images, events and stories? Use several media examples to illustrate your description of your relationship to media.

Can you think of ways that the media covers activists, acts of resistance and protest? How do you feel about this relationship? Use examples to illustrate your answers. Your blog post must be at least 4 paragraphs and you must include at least one link and ONE IMAGE.

GET THE BOOKS!!

Seeing Power: Art and Activism in the 21st Century by Nato Thomson, Melville House Publishing, Brooklyn 2015

The Interventionists: Users’ Manual for the Creative Disruption of Everyday Lives edited by Nato Thomson and Gregory Sholette, MIT Press, Cambridge 2004

Confessions of the Guerrilla Girls by the Guerrilla Girls, HarperCollins, New York 1995

two tweets #actsofresistanceAIP

______________________

Link to the Syllabus

Link to Class screenings

Link to our twitter hashtag: #actsofresistanceAIP

Discussion guidelines

The course material and discussions can often be provocative and challenging. We must therefore be careful to be respectful of each other and of our viewpoints.

We must come to class prepared and ready to discuss the readings. Please keep discussions focused on the readings and class materials and keep examples relevant and appropriate. If you have not done the readings you are not to participate in the discussion.