I have learned so much in this class over the past semester. I greatly appreciated the materials, guest artists, assignments, the trip to Tijuana, and especially the open conversations that we were able to have. The class was structured in such a way that people felt comfortable sharing, even if there were disagreeing opinions, and this made space for very interesting discussions, which I learned a lot from. The assignment and conversation that really struck me the most throughout the course was about the "Maquilapolis" documentary.
I am aware that we live in a very privileged part of the world, and are very lucky to be where we are and studying what we are studying, but the documentary really helped put things into perspective for me about how we as consumers can have a real-life impact on the people working in these factories. Since watching the documentary, and our in-depth discussion afterwards, I haven't been able to look at my own consumerism in quite the same way. I am thinking more about what I purchase, and how the consumerist activities I choose to participate in can have an effect on people working in factories and the environment. It doesn't seem worth it to me to own a product that has been manufactured by a company who treats it's workers horribly and pollutes their communities. It has actually been pretty constantly on my mind, and finding alternative solutions to participating in our consumerist economy is now something that I am more actively thinking about.
I loved how, as a result of our conversation, we were assigned to bring in something that might represent a paradigm shift to us, because we didn't leave that conversation in the classroom with no solution. We were given an opportunity to find a solution to something that resonated with us. This is what this class has helped me with this semester: Discovering ways to solve issues, both through art and not through art.
There are so many issues in the world, that they all can seem overwhelming, and often intimidating to begin to tackle, but in this class, I learned that it might not be so hard. You just have to begin with small steps. I appreciated that we were able to talk together as a class to try and find solutions.
Although this post isn't directly related to art, these are all tools, and an awareness that I can bring into my art practice, and has inspired me to be more conscious in my art practice.
I am aware that we live in a very privileged part of the world, and are very lucky to be where we are and studying what we are studying, but the documentary really helped put things into perspective for me about how we as consumers can have a real-life impact on the people working in these factories. Since watching the documentary, and our in-depth discussion afterwards, I haven't been able to look at my own consumerism in quite the same way. I am thinking more about what I purchase, and how the consumerist activities I choose to participate in can have an effect on people working in factories and the environment. It doesn't seem worth it to me to own a product that has been manufactured by a company who treats it's workers horribly and pollutes their communities. It has actually been pretty constantly on my mind, and finding alternative solutions to participating in our consumerist economy is now something that I am more actively thinking about.
I loved how, as a result of our conversation, we were assigned to bring in something that might represent a paradigm shift to us, because we didn't leave that conversation in the classroom with no solution. We were given an opportunity to find a solution to something that resonated with us. This is what this class has helped me with this semester: Discovering ways to solve issues, both through art and not through art.
There are so many issues in the world, that they all can seem overwhelming, and often intimidating to begin to tackle, but in this class, I learned that it might not be so hard. You just have to begin with small steps. I appreciated that we were able to talk together as a class to try and find solutions.
Although this post isn't directly related to art, these are all tools, and an awareness that I can bring into my art practice, and has inspired me to be more conscious in my art practice.
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