NYU ART+EDUCATION CERTIFICATION

Visionary Studio: Saturday Workshop Spring 2019

Border Crossers: How can artists contribute to the debate about immigration?

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Two people talking in the studio

Today, the increasing numbers of people moving from their home countries to seek a better life has led to intense global debates about migration and borders, especially about undocumented immigrants. The U.S has a long history of immigration and restrictive immigration policies that have largely been based on discrimination. Starting with the arrival of European colonists in 1592, the U.S. has been populated by people arriving from across the world, displacing the indigenous people who are the original inhabitants. Immigration from Mexico and Central America has been viewed as a major domestic problem and yet our economy and daily lives rely on immigrant labor who work on farms, in restaurants, hotels and many other service industries. The recent caravan of immigrants from Central America is directly connected to U.S. foreign policies that have created instability in those countries and forced people to flee unsafe neighborhoods, lack of food and jobs. Many artists use art not just to reflect on or represent the topic of immigration, but to intervene in the realities and events unfolding around the country. Their work opens up dialogue about this issue with the hope of changing the story and public policy. Students will explore how art can create counter stories that humanize our understanding of immigration using a wide range of media, materials, and creative strategies.

Student artwork from Visionary Studio, 2019. Student artwork from Visionary Studio, 2019.

A hanging neon construction jacket

Students sitting in a circle on the floor of the gallery

Artwork about immigration

Student artwork from Visionary Studio, 2019. Student artwork from Visionary Studio, 2019.

Breaking the Silence on Gender Violence: How can art contribute to the #MeToo movement?

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Student artwork surrounding topics of the #MeToo movement.

Throughout the world women and girls face countless acts of violence in their homes and at work. Gender-based violence is often dismissed as a family affair in relation to domestic violence, overlooked as simply a lie or misunderstanding in the workplace, excused as an example of cultural differences, or described as an inevitable aspect of war and conflict. The #metoo movement has galvanized women and men in the U.S. to speak out against sexual harassment and in many communities, educators, and students are developing curriculum to address gender violence in middle and high school classrooms. Artists have also contributed to this movement by commenting on unequal and often violent relations between men and women and creating work that seeks to open conversation about the socialized expectations for and power dynamics involved in gender identity. Some artists use their work to empower victims of gender violence to speak up and take action against their oppressors, while others direct their work towards those who have perpetrated violence against others.

In this class, students will use a range of visual media to explore historic precedents for gender roles and conflict, make connections to the contemporary #metoo movement, and envision new contributions to the unfolding story of gender inequality and violence. 

Big question: How can art contribute to the #metoo movement?

Sub-Questions: 

  • Am I #metoo?
  • How do power dynamics affect gender violence?
  • What does metoo look like without the #?
  • How can we create a community of consent?

Students in front of artwork.

Student sitting at a table and working on her project.

A student's sculpture on display in the gallery. Two students working on collages. A student and teacher looking at the student's artwork together. Students working in the studio together. A collage made by a Visionary Studio student.

Student artwork.

Stop! Don’t Shoot! What role can art play in changing policies about gun control?

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Student artwork of a gun.

The United States has a complicated relationship with guns that has become a focus of heated debate. The U.S has the highest rate of homicide in the “developed world,” due in part to easy access to a wide range of firearms. Gun ownership is considered a constitutional right protected by the Second Amendment but mass shootings in elementary and high schools, concert venues, bars, and houses of worship are happening with increasing frequency. In 2017 the U.S. experienced a total of 346 mass shootings and 2018 numbers will likely remain as high. Artists throughout history have depicted the gun as both a fetishized object and a deadly weapon. Today, many artists are using their creative practices to participate in the debate around access to guns and the increase in gun violence. Students in this class will examine these debates connecting the work of artists with student movements and public dialogue about how and why gun violence is part of our society. The class will use art as a social justice “weapon” to change public perception and mobilize change in public policy.

In spring 2019, NYU Art+Education students Sarah Mallory and Tayllor Johnson and high school students from across the city embarked on a journey to better understand the issue of gun violence and gun control in the United States today. The class explored sub-questions such as: What is a gun? What are current gun control policies in the United States and what does the 2nd amendment say about the rights of citizens? and how will you, as an artist create artwork that promotes the change you want to see in gun control policy? Students researched and discussed topics such as mass shootings (schools, religious spaces, music venues), police brutality and connections to racism, gang violence, and gun protection and ownership by exploring the work of artists including Amanda Williams’s Chicago is Iraq series, Shaun Leonardo’s Primitive Games performance, JR’s photo mural installed in NYC The Gun Chronicles: A Story of America, and Shepard Fairey’s print: Guns and Roses.

Students brainstorming the topic of gun violence. Students sit around a large table discussing an image shown on a screen. A teacher and student discuss a work of art.

Student painting during a Stop! Don't Shoot Visionary Studio session. Students and their artwork during a Stop! Don't Shoot Visionary Studio session.

Students studied policy documents and created black out poetry images, designed a graphic posters to represent their research, visited a public memorial created by artists, and developed their own proposal for an artwork that would speak to the issue of Gun Violence in their own words and images.

 Student artwork: poster with symbols and statistics about gun violence affecting Black women Student artwork: poster with symbols and statistics about gun violence against Black Americans