the interrupters

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i finally saw the interrupters.  

eddie, one of the violence interrupters, worked with youth at a community center to help them express creatively on issues such as gang violence affecting their communities.  young students were encouraged to talk about their own encounters and experiences with violence in their neighborhoods during one of the sessions.  a distressed young girl started crying as she talked about hearing gun shots outside her window.  the scene ended there, but eddie came back to the center as students were displaying their final paintings and commentaries on the wall.  students responded to gang violence by painting words and pictures, expressing what they hope to see... peace, unity and love in the community.  

the film tells a short story of another young girl who lost her brother from a shooting.  she said he loved art and wanted do something in memory of him.  before his death, her brother had wanted to paint a picture of the virgin mary so she painted the virgin mary, along with silhouettes of her brother up in the sky and the rest of the family near the bottom of the canvas.  the word forgiveness was written on the canvas as well.  

these scenes were short, but definitely an eye-opener.  it showed the consequences and impacts the violence had on youth, and how some dealt with their situation through art.  art is an extremely powerful tool for expression and healing... a tool for dialogue, empowerment, and hope.  the film definitely made me reflect back to my own life- how it has helped me get through some of the most difficult times and how it forced me to stay grounded and be true myself and my goals.  it is time to break the silence.  as an art educator and advocate, i hope to introduce this powerful tool to children, youth and adults in the community.

meeting with the guerrilla girls at columbia college

**doing democracy class-

background information:

guerrilla girls are an anonymous feminist group devoted to fighting against sexism and discrimination within the visual fine art world.  started in new york city in 1985 to protest gender and racial inequality in the art world, members are known for the gorilla masks they wear to keep their anonymity.

their fight has evolved into a different place within the art world since 1985.  tokenism is just one of the concerns challenged by the group today.  economic discrimination in art sales and in auction market is another.  women and artists of color earn about 10-20% of what white men do for comparable artwork.  in 2001 the group split into three separate and independent organizations.

tokenism is a policy or practice of limited inclusion or artistic and/or political representation of members of traditionally marginalized group, usually creating a false appearance of inclusive practices rather than discrimination, intentional or not.


notes

the talk began with rush limbaugh's 'slut" rant-

the audience composed of educators, artists, activists, students... mostly women and instructors from saic, roosevelt, loyola, and depaul and students from columbia college, saic, and etc.

this was an intimate space, held in the student center at columbia college.  we had to rsvp via email as the event was directed to educators and students.  paola, my roommate, had heard about this meeting from her art history instructor.  our intention was to go on thursday to the opening, but it didn't happen.  i'm pleased to have gone today (friday) because the event was directed towards smaller audience and they served us lunch.  :)

a work by the guerrilla girls:

 "do women have to be naked to get into the met. museum?"

notes and discussion:  

"is there fun in subversion?"
- yes, having a sense of humor is important...
- we need to take action... instead of just relying on someone else to take care of the problem and to figure it out
- it is a way to "shout out".
- wearing gorilla masks- anonymity and humor
- when you make fun of the system that oppresses you, it's a way of empowerment.
- transform other people's thinking with a sense of humor...


"professional complainers"
- over time, the guerrilla girls learned how to craft in activism. they are meticulous planners, always test driving their ideas first.
- became "professional complainers"
- you can start by being angry, but the important thing is that you shouldn't end with anger...
- one of the audience members mentioned that we do have the right to be angry...


strategy has evolved.
- 1985, museums not showing female artists and artists of color.  27 years later, it's the same issue.  "no brainer" that women and people of color have contributed to history,  yet they are still marginalized, silenced and underrepresented in museums... and in today's society.


now, it's more about economic issue.
- art investors controlling what we see in museums
- we see history of power, not culture
- art world = drug world (both unregulated)
- "make the art world you want to live in." stop accommodating to their standards and what they want!


according to the article, Rethinking Contemporary Art and Multicultural Education, multicultural art is "an attempt to destabilize the very structures that elevate one style of art or one group of artists over another and create the linear succession of dominant art styles that make up the historical canon. It is precisely this hierarchical and linear notion of art history that has prevented work by artists of color from being considered official history." (p. 6)


a new word i learned: tokenism... the limited inclusion or artistic and/or political representation of members of traditionally marginalized group, usually creating a false appearance of inclusive practices rather than discrimination, intentional or not.   one of the issues that the guerrilla girls had discussed was the power structure in the museums.  the artworks that we see are controlled by the upper tier of the pyramid.   it's a known fact that women and artists of color have contributed so much to history, yet their works are still underrepresented in large institutions such as the AIC.


"the glorification of token "masters" such as georgia o'keeffe, romare bearden, and frida kahlo merely reinforces the prevailing art narrative of the "gifted individual" who has been able to rise above his or her community in achievement.  by definition, art created outside of these limited (and limit in) criteria lacks value." (p. 5)  what we see is the history of power, not history of culture.  the collectors and art dealers make the art market.  they choose what is valuable and what isn't.   the decisions to what is shown in the museum, who is considered the "genius" artists that fit the "criteria"... are decided by the few.  yet the public doesn't question. members of traditionally marginalized group are still being "oppressed" because apparently, they "lack value" and "people don't want to see it."  it's all about bringing in money! gasp. (shocking. i had no idea...!)  many artists are instrumentally placed in the museums to support their values and money... rather than being there on their own terms.


art should become "a vital means of reflecting on nature of society and social existence."  power. oppression. history.  what we see in art museums and galleries... should reflect our culture. we should be able to connect to the artworks with our own experiences.  art.. then becomes meaningful and it becomes "a vital means of reflecting on nature of society and social existence."   we exist!  and what should exist are voices similar to ours.  artworks that we can relate to.  artists and works that actually reflect our history and culture.   it was interesting to note that one of the audience members mentioned about women artists that were being shown at the museums such as the art institute and mca, including sharon hayes (and anne elizabeth more, my instructor from last semester who had her own show at the mca!).  we stated that we shouldn't overlook these artists and their achievements.  we have come a long way... so we should celebrate!


not only gender and race are topics within education, but in the art world as well.  it was very interesting to reflect back on my own actions because i always visited the art institute to look at specific works done by famous male artists.  there is one... i mean just one painting by a woman that i know... have paid attention to... and have always liked... woman at her toilette by berthe morisot.  i don't think i have ever learned about her or at least learned about her in detail in my art history classes.   but what attracted me to this painting was that it looked "pretty" and "elegant", not having the slightest idea about the history or culture that would tell us something about how women lived in those days.  and the fact that a female painter is visually telling a story about a woman in that time period... it just never came across my mind.


during the discussion, going around the room and letting people speak and share their ideas made the space more intimate.  rather than sitting up on stage, the guerrilla girls sat with us.   the duo kept encouraging us to speak up and "fight" against discrimination.  i really enjoyed listening to different people's perspectives, even objections to what the guerrilla girls had said!  the guerrilla girls thoroughly listened and took interest in learning about different projects  mentioned by the audience members and even stayed longer to speak with individuals.  i wish i had said something... when will i ever overcome this shyness!!  when people introduced themselves, i noticed the audience members comprised mostly of women- professors and students, yet there were few men present.  even the men spoke up.  I believe it was a very meaningful experience... for all of us.   to be with the "Girls" and listen to what they had to say was very empowering and encouraging.   dialogue. the exchange of ideas.  questions asked and answered.   after the discussion, paola and i visited the small exhibition in the back of the room to see some of their posters.


also... some of columbia college students raised concerns about the college planning to eliminate / close courses and projects such as the chicago jazz ensemble, the center for black music research and the institute for the study of women and gender.  in the 60's and 70's, people were fighting to create these programs / courses... and now, people will be fighting again to prevent these courses from elimination.

Museums Unfair to Men!

Sick of so many all-women feminist art shows lately?

Demand that museums go back to business as usual:

National gallery D.C., permanent collection exhibit  99% men

Met. Museum modern and contemporary galleries  97% men

Broad contemporary art museum, los angeles  87% men

MoMA permanent collection  86% men

MoMA, Whitney, Guggenheim 07-08 solo exhibitions  81% men

Male Art Now!

Museums should show tons of male artists, and very few female artists, like they always have.

according to guerrilla girls booklet, not ready to make nice...

many museums have names of famous artists inscribed on their facades.

none are women.

inside, things aren't much better:

the art institute of chicago's modern galleries are 90% male artists 

its contemporary galleries are 82% male

even the solo shows at the mca since 2010 have been 80% male

time for chicago to do what paris, london, madrid and stockholm are doing:  collect and exhibit more art by women!

statistics from oct 2011 count at aic, and mca website nov 2011 

sources:
http://www.guerrillagirls.com/
not ready to make nice, guerrilla girls
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guerrilla_Girls
E. Joo and J. Keehn (with Ham-Robers) (Eds.)- Rethinking Contemporary Art and Multicultural Education. - Selections

diy

found this cute desk in our basement. 

before

after

visual map.

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teen lab at the art institute (3/22)

we came to the art institute on thursday for the teen lab gallery tour.  each of us from cyberped joined a small group of students along with museum education faculty members, documenting this experience while students used their collage map to direct us through the museum.  this experience gave them the opportunity to articulate in their own words about their interpretations and ideas, relating their personal experiences to the artworks they have chosen... which was awesome.  it was engaging, personal and meaningful.

when we came back, we had a small discussion/reflection as a whole group.
meredith asked, "what made you keep coming back to teen lab?"
some answers:
- incorporating technology & hands-on activities
- experience in the museum changed, more fun
- seeing artworks / going to downtown
- positive people
- talking about own ideas
- working with poetry
- inspirational, ideas for portfolio

really liked how someone mentioned positive people- it really motivates us to keep trying our best and have FUN.

also, another student mentioned that she was in elementary school when the modern wing was being built, and now she is exploring the museum 3 times a week as a high-school student, which she said was hard to believe, yet awesome.

doing democracy 

i was involved in teen lab at the art institute last semester for my cyberpedagogy course.  teen lab is one of many programs provided by after school matters, a non-profit organization for teens to become paid apprentices or club members in arts, sports, technology, and communications programs.  after school matters have teamed up with CPS... and i believe high schools students are required to fulfill certain requirements / hours to graduate.  after school matters strives "to provide chicago public high school teens opportunities to explore and develop their talents, while gaining critical skills for work, college and beyond."  its goal is to significantly increase programming especially for schools and communities with lack of financial resources and youth programming options.   in teen lab, there are 2 instructors, meredith and joel, all graduates from the same MAAE program at SAIC with students from various high schools across chicago. 

when i arrived to the art institute to observe last month, teens were already working on their latest and final project- to create a stop motion animation video.  meredith explained that teens did mini projects / lessons to learn certain skills before working on their final.  teens chose to work individually or in small groups and their own artistic direction.  supplies and materials were all provided by the museum: cameras, camera stands, computers, paper, crayons, markers, paper, etc.  two of the teens standing side by side of each other had written a poem, using chalks and mini chalkboard to film the video.  others drew. 

i was glad to see some familiar faces from last semester and that there were more teens in the program this semester.  i thought the program was successful because the curriculum was student-centered.  the program was relatively new, and last semester we made and distributed surveys asking teens about what they enjoyed/didn't enjoy doing.  many were not satisfied with blogging/blogger so i think they eliminated it this semester.  instead, they tried using facebook because many had suggested it on an end-of-the-year survey.  yet, i don't know if facebook has been successful or not. they had taken teens' suggestions into consideration, which was great.  they really enjoyed working with imovie last semester so i think they have incorporated it this semester for different projects. 

one of the most memorable things for me from last semester was the teen lab gallery tour.  art museums like the art institute were foreign to many teens before teen lab.  to prepare for the tour, teens went out into the galleries in search of their favorite artworks.  then they incorporated elements of the chosen artworks with their own to create a collage map.  on the day of the gallery tour, teens were separated into small groups with museum education faculty staff and saic students from cyberpedagogy class. the map was their navigator, guiding us through the museum to the artworks.  teens explained why they had chosen the works to be their favorite and why it was meaningful to them.  this experience gave teens the opportunity to articulate their interpretations and ideas about the artwork and connected it with their personal experiences. i thought it was engaging, personal and meaningful.  it wasn't about reiterating factual information.  opportunities to explore and make interpretations of what we see and read... and to be able to connect it back to our lives and to the larger world is an important skill to have. it helps us to make sense of what is going around us.

after coming back, we had a small discussion and reflection as a whole group. i remember meredith asked about what made them keep coming back to teen lab and some of the responses were... how they gained more positive experience in the museum and they felt more comfortable looking at and interacting with the artwork.   they also enjoyed incorporating technology and hands-on activities in the art-making process. also, they were around positive people.  even for me, the projects were very engaging, and their work was very creative and personal.  i really felt the class was a safe, creative environment.  i know for a fact that some dropped out of the program because they had too many absences, yet the majority of teens stayed in the program until the very end.  

last semester, my cyberpedagogy classmates and i went to teen lab to assist teens and the instructors as well as to give feedback to the instructors about what was great, what could be improved and how it could be improved.  at the end of the semester, we presented our "findings" to the aic education faculty staff, providing some input to the future curriculum.  i feel that meredith and joel were really great.  they were very positive and responsive to our suggestions.  in the classroom, they tried to help teens as much as possible.   now... this semester, i came in for 2 hours to observe.  (i told meredith i would come back to help...) as soon as i walked in, teens were engaged in their projects.  some were chatty, but they were  still on-task.   the instructors didn't have to say anything about or redirect their behavior.   it was in fact, a very peaceful environment.. even for me.  

i went around observing everyone's work and asked few teens about their animation project.  they pretty much had the freedom to do whatever they wanted.  some drew pictures while others wrote poems.  they seemed to be engaged in the creative process.  while meredith was helping teens with their project, joel met one-on-one with teens to discuss about something.  he came back to explain to me that he had been conducting midterm evaluations.  the form was called after school matters skills for success: career readiness skills rubric.  since this program is affiliated with cps, teens are expected to meet certain expectations/standards.  briefly looking at the form, some of the criteria were appearance/dress code, attitude, accountability, procedure/rule following, problem solving approach, acting listening and computer literacy.  something that we would expect to see in a school setting... not in museums.  i think since this is a requirement for high school students, teens have to take the program seriously while the instructors strive to meet their needs and adhere to the program's standards.  the program focuses on job readiness skills, career exploration and school engagement, therefore, skills such as problem solving, communication, critical thinking and decision making are important factors.

i think the after school matters program tries to be inclusive- they target schools and communities where financial resources and youth programming options are scarce and impact a wide variety of the city's teen population across socioeconomic, geographic and cultural lines. (http://www.afterschoolmatters.org/about/impact)  

"We do the work of opening up the space of learning so that it can be more inclusive, and challenge ourselves constantly to strengthen our teaching skills.  These progressive practices are vital to maintaining democratic education, both in the classroom and out.  Authoritarian practices, promoted and encouraged by many institutions, undermines democratic education in the classroom.  By undermining education as the practice of freedom, authoritarianism in the classroom dehumanizes and thus shuts down the "magic" that is always present when individuals are active learners. It takes "fun out of study" and makes it repressive and oppressive" (hooks, 2003, p.43). 

i chose this quote from hooks' teaching community: a pedagogy of hope to illustrate what the after school matters and teen lab are striving towards- an inclusive and active learning curriculum and environment that many schools are not able to provide because of high stakes testing and lack of funding.   programming that does not exist in schools or in some communities are offered through after school matters at free of charge.  providing various programs outside the school grounds... a more open learning space different from a classroom may help engage students in schools.  To me, many community-based programs strive to oppose authoritarian practices (which is practiced in institutions such as schools), and instead, promote active learning environment for youth.   i think teen lab promotes that active learning environment while providing a safe creative atmosphere.   in the beginning, i did not like it too much because i had to help teens with technology (which i am not comfortable with!), but as weeks passed, i really enjoyed watching them create some great things whether it be with poetry, pictures or even making and mixing their own music. the experiences were engaging and meaningful.    

the final presentation of their stop-motion video is on april, 19!


references
http://www.afterschoolmatters.org/index.php
hooks, b. (2003). Teaching community: a pedagogy of hope (p. 43). New York: NY Routledge.

[teen lab | fall 2011)

[teen lab | spring 2012]

dating myself

"dating myself"- spending quality time with me. and myself alone, preferably on a nice, sunny weekend. 

you should try it some time.   i do it occasionally... just to clear my head and reflect on my life, but sunday was the first time ever dining by myself at a crowded restaurant.  reallly went out of my comfort zone. one of the perks of dating yourself at a restaurant is that you get seated faster.   toast was packed, as usual.  but i was seated instantly, right at the counter just as i had imagined.   i knew exactly what i wanted and ordered quickly: coffee and grilled tenderloin benedict.  in no time, i was enjoying my meal.   

before heading home, i decided to stop by quimby's.   quimby's is an independent bookstore in chicago, i believe.  they sell books, zines, comics... usually by local writers and artists.

i usually look at books on illustration and zines for inspirations.  a zine is a self-published, small circulation, non-commercial booklet or magazine, usually produced by one person or few individuals.  they come in all shapes, sizes, topics and formats.  most are photocopied, but they can also be printed offset, like a magazine or newspaper (zine101).  i have created a few for my classes, usually with illustrations, depicting stories about my life, but never distributed it.  zines are super fun to create.  if you have a story, an idea or issue you'd like to share and express,  i say, create a zine! (and distribute them.)

quimby has a photo booth! this was my chance. finally.  i've been waiting to do this for some time now and i finally got the courage to do it!   the act was inspired by the film, amelie:

one day...

but for now...

bring a book to read or a journal to write down your experiences.  observe people around you.  spend quality time alone... for reflection.   find peace.  listen to your voice.


AND... my compass journey project.  completed.  :)

inspirations

두근두근

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