WEEKEND MUSING:
PROTEST ART
Chang W. Lee, The New York Times, 2020
This photograph by Chang W. Lee depicting hundreds of protesters in Brooklyn captured my attention when I saw it two weeks ago. I could not believe how brave the George Floyd protesters were; after months of being told to stay apart, they cared so much that they came together. The diagonal vantage point intensifies the density of the crowd. The composition -- with the thin band of empty park at the top and Parkside street sign right below -- contextualizes the location as Brooklyn, where the Prospect Lefferts and Flatbush neighborhoods meet.
I love to look at art and think about connections between works. The protest imagery shaping our understanding of today belongs to a great body of art that is a form of protest. Today, my colleagues and I offer a small collection of protest works for you to study. We hope you will share with us protest art that moves you or that you have made. If you're looking for inspiration, come and craft your personal visual or written message with Usdan Creative Writing Teacher Jay Howard and Usdan Curriculum Specialist Hawley Hussey at an online workshop: Designing for Change. The workshop will take place on June 24 at 4:00 PM. More
details and a registration link are below.
Titus Kaphar, Time Magazine, June 15, 2020
Many of Titus Kaphar's paintings serve as a powerful reminder of the people and stories that get erased when recounting history. I was in the process of locating another one of his paintings to share when I came across this haunting Time Magazine cover. This portrait of a black mother and her missing child is a tribute to George Floyd and all of the black victims who've lost their lives to police brutality. Kaphar explains, “I want to be sure that she is seen. I want to be certain that her story is told. And so this time, America must hear her voice.” You can view more of Kaphar’s work here.
- Lafiya Watson, Graphic Designer
Betye Saar, Supreme Quality, 1998
In the 1970s the black arts movement featured black men, and the women's movement was led by white women. Betye Saar, a black female artist, started making art that was highly political and often dealt with American Racism towards blacks. I love her use of found objects to bring our history back to us - it is not resolved. She is 93 and still making work. You can see more of her work and hear her voice here.
- Jillian Greenberg, Director of Education
Rico Gatson, Double Miles, 2009
Rico Gatson once said: “I’m always interested in seducing the viewer and then hitting them on the way out, allowing a delayed response to powerfully charged content." Double Miles is about protest - it's about existing, creating, and finding joy as radical acts. You can see more of Gatson's work here.
- Lindsay Smilow, Donor Relations Officer
My colleagues and I invite you and your family to craft your own visual or written message at Designing for Change. This online workshop will be lead by Usdan Creative Writing Teacher Jay Howard and Usdan Curriculum Specialist Hawley Hussey on June 24 at 4:00 PM. All ages are welcome.
With gratitude for this community,
Lauren Brandt Schloss, Executive Director
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