Stories are powerful tools through which we transmit culture, social and political values, and beliefs about what it means to be “American.” Dominant stories about the United States are perpetuated through the media, visual and popular culture that systematically excludes the histories and voices of BIPOC communities and individuals. Artists have played an important role in creating counter-stories and using their art as a space to elevate untold, hidden, and silenced narratives.
Students worked in a wide variety of media to explore and critique current narratives in the media and popular culture, as well as create counter stories that reorient the ways people of color are represented, seen, and heard.
Silent No More Zoom Class
My name is Emma Quinn I am 17 years old and a junior at Freeport High School. Art so far has been a major factor in my life.
I joined the NYU Visionary Studio workshop because I’d just recently found an interest in art so, I had never really had the opportunity to join bigger projects in the past, it never quite sparked my interest. But now, as I continue to explore it, art’s importance to my life has prevailed so, I want to jump at every possible opportunity I can to get to be creative on my own or others. And, there’s nothing greater than implementing ideas into art that can positively impact a community and bring about social change. I frequent the mediums graphite, charcoal, ink, and mainly black and gray paint and I think it’s time to explore new things when it comes to art. I’m a junior now and it’s about time to determine how much my enjoyment of art will bleed into my near-coming future. The best way to do that is to get my hands dirty and experience larger projects and create on a less “hobby-like” scale.
I am Frank and I go to Bayard Rustin Educational Complex. I don't really consider myself as an artist because I have never been given classes on anything I do. But things I do are things like fashion design, sculpture, visual arts, photography etc. The reason I took this course was because I was told that it was an art class and while applying I saw that it tackled many and several issues that concern our society so I thought it would be good for me because my work most of the time has to do with activism. I certainly did learn some little small details that I may have missed out on as worldwide. But my goal throughout my artwork is to get people to notice the many different concerns of communities like mine and me as well. But in this program I think that my aim is to tackle cultural appropriation and the stereotypes that are thought of Mexicans and Mexican American culture alike.
“An artist is not paid for his labor but for his vision.”
I’ve always been someone for whom art was a big part of life. But I never felt a connection with my art till recently, as I started to learn how to conceptualise my thoughts and ideas into my work. Through this course I’ve learned more about artists who excel in this. It’s been an amazing experience specially seeing so many artists my age from all over the world talk about their opinions. The course has helped me understand the impact artists and their visions have on society and how these can be used as catalysts for change, helping those who can’t help themselves.
I’m a 12th grade student in Delhi, India. I’ve always known I want to pursue art as a career and now I’m more clear about my goals than ever. Along with art, I’ve always been invested in social change and understanding how important the simple opinions and visions are of people around the world. But now the more I grow and develop as an artist, the more I realise how these things are almost always hand in hand, you can’t have art without society and you can’t have any change without art. Art is almost everywhere in everything we do and I aim to be an artist who contributes to the world with her work helping in making the world a better place.
My name is Nicholas and I am a junior at Crystal Springs Uplands School. I joined this course because I wanted to reimagine how I can see and take action regarding activism in my own culture, in an artistic way. My perspective on art has grown to challenge me to include my community's voice in different forms of art. My favorite mediums of art are photography, drawing, and I’ve been experimenting with digital art (primarily in photoshop).
Hi, I’m Amelia, a Junior at Townsend Harris High School. Both of my parents work in the art world, so I have always had an interest in art and the humanities. I hope to pursue anthropology and linguistics professionally, but I would also like to focus within my study on cultural art and the relationship between language and visual art. I found that this course really fits with my goals to study the intersection between diverse cultural experiences and art.
I also really love studying art history and ancient works of art beyond just the most popular western classical works.
Hi! My name is Shelley and, I am a freshman at Middleton High School. My favorite mediums of art are markers, digital, and acrylics. I joined this NYU program in hopes of improving my art and meeting different artists. This program has allowed me to create art out of my comfort zone and incorporate ideas related to culture and community. For now, my goal for art is to gain more experience and discover different art styles. I also hope to take AP art classes soon. :)
My name is Lauren W. and I’m currently a freshman at Avenues: The World School. I chose to participate in visionary studios because I want to use my art to support those who are underrepresented. My desire for creating art into forms of social justice has led me to learn more about marginalized voices. I want to be an artist that can change my community to be more positive and understanding.
My favorite mediums include digital art, watercolors, and markers but I hope to get my hands on some new materials and experiment with them!
BYRON M.
Peace, I'm Jocelyn. Brown & Proud Art Teacher all the way from Detroit, Mi. I have a passion for teaching young people the multifaceted world of artistic expression while mentoring/nuturing students in the process. I mainly focus in painting and printmaking. My experience in Visionary Studios has taught me the importance of hearing the voices and perspectives of students of color. It has taught me how to facilitate brilliant students in deep concepts and conversations.
Hiya, I'm Molly. I'm a visual artist and educator from northeast Ohio. I'm interested in making space for students to explore identity through artmaking. My preferred media of ceramics and weaving have helped me see the beauty of process. I encourage my students to live in the process and conversations of artmaking, rather than laboring for a finished product. My experience in Visionary Studios has taught me so much about how to facilitate deeper conversations, how to uplift marginalized voices as a white woman, and how work collaboratively (check out their awesome zine!).
The Joy Project
With all the misrepresentations in the media that stereotypically describe marginalized communities and America’s fixation on one standard of joy, it is important that we see various communities express their happiness. Marginalized groups shouldn’t be defined just by their pain and struggles but by their positive additions to the world. Through this lesson, students explored what joy looks like in marginalized communities. Students examined multiple cultures and artists that find ways to express themselves through adversities. Students then added their own narrative to the conversation about what joy looks like for them and members of their community.
Amelia H.
Emma Q.
Shelley Y.
Lauren W.
Akshitha V.
Cultural Appropriation Zine
Building upon students’ explorations of joy in various communities, this lesson exposes how institutions suppress that joy. With many blaming incidents of racism and discrimination as individuals gone ‘rogue’, especially in recent media, this lesson aims to widen the attention toward the systems that oppress marginalized groups. Students learned how artists use their voice to maintain a narrative of joy when institutions continually suppress and challenge that joy. We explored the meaning of ‘marginalized’ and discussed the difference between Individual and systemic/institutional racism. Students also met with contemporary artist/printmaker J. Leigh Garcia about her various collaborative projects and artistic process. This project culminated in a collaborative class zine about cultural appropriation within the entertainment industry. Students used their creative voices to expose oppressive structures and proposed alternatives or solutions to specific examples of cultural appropriation.
Take a scroll through our collective zine!
Students defined cultural appropriation, focused on its prevalence in entertainment industries, and exposed the harm it can do to communities. They also ask viewers to take action or proposed solutions. Some sub-themes explored include--
Appropriation of Kimono
Fox eye trend
Appropriation of Indian jewelry/fashion
Appropriation among influencers and the trend cycle
Whitewashing and blackface in film
Wearing cultures as costumes
Challenging Stereotypes Collage
Stereotypes are used against us everyday. We see them in film, news outlets, on social media, etc. These stereotypes can be very dangerous and can be easily used to generalize an entire race of people. Artists use counter-narratives to reclaim their images and recenter themselves in a positive light. During this lesson, students explored different types of stereotypes used in modern-day media. Students examined the side-effects to generalization of races. Students were challenged to create a counter-narrative to a specific stereotype through the transformative power of artmaking.
Stuti
Frank
Amelia
Emma
The "American Dream" Project
As white nationalism and supremacy continues to be the overwhelming narrative in US history, politics, education, it is imperative for students to see the true, varied histories of all ‘Americans,’ including themselves. Looking to artists who appropriate politically charged symbols of American institutions and ideals to uncover suppressed histories, students will learn how to joyfully integrate their own voices into the story of America. Students will challenge the constructed ‘stock story’ of the whitewashed ‘American Dream,’ which has been written in order to uphold deep rooted racial hierarchies and to benefit capitalism/those who benefit from it most. Instead of constructing a false history of what it means to be successful in America, students will realize a hopeful future in this country that includes themselves.
Bryon