Dunstan Final Intervention

 In terms of mainstream recognition NFTs are making waves with big name celebrities spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on them. My intervention is based around a particular portion of NFT’s that make hundreds of images off a single template (Bored Ape Club, Cryptopunks). I wanted to speak on the cynical nature of NFTs as it seems they only seem to be so popular due to being a speculative market rather than actually being appreciated by the artwork itself. “In Temporary Occupations, Alex Villar makes visible the “uses” of public space. The video shows Villar ignoring the city’s spatial codes and therefore resisting their effects upon the organization of everyday experience” Thompson writes about Craig Baldwin’s culture jamming project named ‘Billboard Outlaws in the Reclaim the Streets chapter. 

As a counter I would be creating a parody account based on these works. Originally I wanted to create something original for the project until I read Jacklin Kwan’s article about fraud in the NFT world. After the passing of digital artist Qing Han who amassed a sizable following on social media through her evocative anime styled illustrations, several works of hers were being plagiarized and sold due to it being an unregulated market. “But like most emerging technologies, it was the tip of the iceberg. On Twinci alone, there are five other listings with Qing’s art. Some NFTs are being advertised for up to 500 TWIN (Twinci’s own crypto-coin), which converts to around £400 at the time of writing. There was even an instance where an artist minted an NFT attached to an apparent plagiarism of Qing’s work – the one she had posted alongside her cancer diagnosis.” Kwan writes. There are many such cases of blatant art theft on multiple different sites. For this reason I was going to create my own Bored Ape pieces to critique the blatant theft that happens in these spaces. 

The question now is what aesthetic I was going to approach. I initially had two options on how I wanted to make the pieces. I could make a very inspired render or sink deeper into the depths of atrocious art. To make the parody more clear I felt using only the medium of MS Paint was the only true option. “The ability for the meme to empower and push back can be really powerful. They’re definitely sites of resistance against perceptions of abuse of power. They spread so quickly and evolve and transform, and it’s hard to shut them down in the way other forms of communicative protest can be silenced.” says Benjamin Burroughs, an assistant emerging media professor at the University of Nevada in an interview with VICE reporter Sage Lazzaro about the political power of memes. 

I was considering how I would like the auctions to work. I felt as though the auctions were very important to parodying NFT as they are completely relevant due to their assumed financial value. I wouldn’t ever sell this work for my own profit as I feel that would be too unethical but if it went towards charity. Auctions can be held through the Instagram comments, and winners would be privately messaged in which they can pick an approved charity of their choice. Then they would receive the image but with a digital seal also made in MS Paint saying they now owned this image. From  the Yes Men website they talk about the people they prank or make art out of and why they don’t sue them. “We've learned again and again that our targets are unlikely to sue us, because we can always win in the court of public opinion.” - Yes Men 

Lazzaro, Sage. “Memes Are Our Generation's Protest Art.” VICE, 1 Mar. 2019, https://www.vice.com/en/article/mbzxa3/memes-are-our-generations-protest-art. 

Kwan, Jacklin. “An Artist Died. Then Thieves Made Nfts of Her Work.” WIRED UK, 28 July 2021, https://www.wired.co.uk/article/nft-fraud-qinni-art. 

“You're Probably Not Going to Get Sued. but If You Do...” The Yes Men, https://theyesmen.org/lessons/youre-probably-not-going-get-sued-and-if-you-do. 

Ackerman, Iain. “'It's like Buying a Star': Inside the Bizarre, Billionaires' World of Nfts.” WIRED Middle East, 14 July 2021, https://wired.me/business/cryptocurrency/its-like-buying-a-star-inside-the-bizarre-billionaires-world-of-nfts/. 

Thompson, N. (2004). The interventionists: Users' manual for the creative disruption of Everyday Life. MIT. 

Final Project - Save the Bees - Paige Bishop

Save the Bees! Save them all! Without them, we will fall!

 Save the bees! Save the bees! Save the bees! Save the bees! Save the bees! Save the bees! Save the bees!

The bees are an important species to our world, as they not only pollinate the beautiful flowers, but they also pollinate our fruits and vegetables. We need them to survive. Should they go extinct, so shall we. Chemicals and other hazardous things, that are pumped into our body, will not be able to keep us alive. We need to give up the chemical-bound pesticides and switch to natural resources. 

Bees have been around longer than humankind. They have declined in numbers for generations due to the harsh, chemical, pesticides that seep into the soil and float into the air. We are contaminating our world! Honeybees have been around since the Cretaceous Period; over a hundred million years prior. Research conducted from 2014 to 2015 by Ballaro and Warhol, “…more than 40 percent of colonies were lost…” (6). Diseases and disorders take the lives of colonies, baffling scientists. These diseases and disorders can be connected to pesticides.

Save the bees! Save the bees! Save the bees! Save the bees! Save the bees! Save the bees!

Many will disagree that the honeybee population is declining and that the human population would never be affected. Jon Entine, an American science writer and consultant, believes that the honeybees are NOT dying off, which can be fun in his article “The Bee Apocalypse Was Never Real; Here’s Why”.

Save the bees! Save the bees! Save the bees! Save the bees! Save the bees! Save the bees!

Rachel Carson, an American marine biologist, author, and conservationist whose book “Silent Spring” and other writings are credited with advancing the global environmental movement. In her second chapter, “The Obligation to Endure”, she states that “…man’s assaults upon the environment is the contamination of the air, earth, rivers, and sea with dangerous and even lethal materials” (6). May I ask: would you like to inhale and ingest these pesticides? No? Neither do the honeybees! The human population has created chemical-based mixtures that have a terrible reaction to the environment and all living beings nearby. Though these chemicals kill off the bad pesticides, they are also killing the good ones. We need some sort of pesticide to feed off our land. Certain pests are good for the environment and there are natural sources to fend off the bad.

 Save the bees! Save the bees! Save the bees! Save the bees! Save the bees! Save the bees!

Some of the good things to use, that are natural, are:

• Salt Spray
• Orange Citrus Oil
• Neem Oil
• Eucalyptus Oil
• Hot Pepper Wax
• Garlic Spray

Instagram: halloween_queen17

Work Cited

Ballaro, Beverly, and Tom Warhol. Honeybee Population: An Overview - Find Articles, News...connection.ebscohost.com/c/articles/28675247/honey-bee-population-overview.

“The Bee Apocalypse Was Never Real; Here's Why.” American Council on Science and Health, 19 Apr. 2018, www.acsh.org/news/2018/04/17/bee-apocalypse-was-never-real-heres-why-12851.

“The Biggest Myth About the ‘Bee Apocalypse.’” RealClearScience, www.realclearscience.com/blog/2017/11/29/the_biggest_myth_about_the_bee_apocalypse.html.

Carson, Rachel. Silent Spring. Penguin Books, in Association with Hamish Hamilton, 2015.

Jacobsen, Rowan. Fruitless Fall: The Collapse of the Honeybee and the Coming Agricultural Crisis. Bloomsbury, 2009. 

"Better Late than Never"

 

Yusraa bint Yusuf Ismail

Prof. Cacoilo

Acts of Resistance

Art Gallery Essay 2

                                   

            Because I over-procrastinate with everything I do, I cannot discuss one of the artists in-depth, but I would like to mention her work. I do not have her name, but I have the name of her project which is called Little Steph. Little Steph is a doll that has attachable and detachable organs in which you can place symbols and colors which code for different feelings and sensations. The doll is meant to assist patience who have difficulty expressing their pains and feelings to medical professionals. Medical jargon can be difficult for anyone outside of the field to comprehend or portray. With the help of the doll, patients can express their variety of feelings and their locations to doctors. This piece is important and completely stands out to me because it takes a matter, which is one expressing themselves to medical professionals and how it can be very difficult and find a solution for it. With this, it’s a start and many others can piggyback from her work. The main idea of this piece is that it can be tough for people to extend their true feelings to medical professionals. With that said, it can bring awareness to the medical field and to people who have this issue to acknowledge it and not feel bad about it or alone.

            The “Emotion Sorting Cape” by Pollie Barden is a piece that struck me. In Pollie’s words “The Emotional Sorting Cape is a visual and tangible tool for me to externally process my emotions.” I view the cape as something that I can benefit from, and others can too. Everyone who struggles with avoiding their feelings and struggling to express their emotions should have a cape or an object which they can use in the same way to help them process their emotions. The “Emotion Sorting Cape” is beautiful, and it’s made from colorful fabric, tubing, plastic bags, and a video documentation of Pollie Barden doing a session processing her emotions while in the cape. What also struck me from Pollie Barden is what she says in the beginning of her artists’ caption which is that she has crafted a life of avoiding until recently in the year 2020 when she had been forced to engage with her emotions. She mentions that her journey is not a straight path and that there are peaks and valleys in which she often gets lost and turned around in.

From the Interventionists chapter three Ready to Wear, I drew a close similarity from The Emotion Sorting Cape to the Dis-Armor piece designed by Krzysztof Wodiczko. The piece was designed “to assist in communication for those who feel alienated, traumatized, and silenced”. Pollie Barden’s cape helps process and sort emotions while Wodiczko’s piece helps communicate emotions. Wodiczko’s piece is one which I would find beneficial for myself as well as many others. I too greatly struggle with engaging with my emotions and have yet to really find a way of process them correctly. What I have started to do is be honest with an emotion and acknowledge it. When I am unsure of how I feel which leads me to feeling down, I resort to favorite outlets as I like to call them or “happy place” in other words. I am not yet in a place where I can put on a special cape and process my emotions, but I can try my hardest to be honest and breaking through that sturdy wall to vulnerability.

The final artist’s work that I would like to acknowledge is Kristy Lopez. Lopez created and designed dinnerware-safe glazed earthenware ceramics to depict gratitude to those in her life that has helped her through life and all or some of its important parts, sad parts, and great parts. The name of the piece is called Gratitude Gifts: Rescue, Abundance, Sorry, Adventure, Bloom, Lover’s Soup, Support, Middle, Roots, Only, Leo 2021. Kristy mentions that she struggles with perfectionism and appreciation for her artwork. Her inner critic disabled her from making meaningful art as an expression outlet for her which led to her bottling up emotions and inhibiting the processing of her life events. I found her work important because when we are focusing on bettering ourselves, we can tend to forget about the people in our lives who are assisting us through the difficult times and good times. Kristy says, “Communicating with gratitude gifts is how I choose to express myself to the various individuals who inspired each work and accompanying Thank You cards highlight the impacts they have each had on me.” People including myself can use Kristy’s work as inspiration and a way for us to communicate gratitude and other emotions to others using a tangible item and card or another written component. It can be something large and grand or small that can help communicate emotions to the various important people in out lives that are in deserving of it. We can also encourage others to do the same and it can be a great outlet for those in need of it.

Final Project

My project topic is something that hopefully people can relate to in different ways. The topic is mental health, nothing specific just the overall generality of it. I chose this topic because mental health isn’t something people consider when it comes to others along with being aware of it. To display mental health, I chose to paint a woman who is tied by her heart and brain, but they are going in opposite directions and if she lets her mental health affect her too much then she hits rock bottom/death which is represented as spikes. I also decided to include some self-harm cuts on her wrist to show that people do decide to harm them self when things get rough for them mentally and or physically and they don’t know how else to deal with it. In the book, This Is What I Know About Art by Kimberly Drew states, “I was depressed, burned-out, and I felt like I was failing in every direction” (12). This quote is exactly how I feel every day when waking up remembering how everything in my life is a mess that is hard to escape.

The message for the audience is to not assume that someone is not fighting a couple demons no matter what their mood is. The ones who tend to always be bubbly and help others feel better are usually the ones who are going through the most. But that doesn’t mean the ones who are quiet and often sad aren’t going through hard times either, people choose not to show any type of expressions of what is going on in their head.

I reached an audience with my project by creating a slideshow that includes mental health examples, signs, how to help, etc. Also, I showed the painting and explain its representations. The audience was very attentive to the presentation especially since the audience is my family and they know I struggle with mental health issues. The feedback I received was positive ones. They are now ready to observe me or our loved ones and their actions/behavior to see if someone need to talk but too ashamed/embarrassed to ask for it. The book, This Is What I Know About Art states, “Some students were upset by the artists’ intention, and others ashamed of the history that the piece highlighted (25). In this quote, instead of students it was my family members upset since I now inform them about mental health, but it brought up the past when I ended up having a self-induced accident a couple years ago and couldn’t explain what was wrong with me.

There are multiple artists that has inspired me to create this painting. One artist that inspired me is Frida Kahlo, who suffered from more than one mental health problems such as posttraumatic stress disorder and bipolar disorder along with depression. One of her artworks Self-Portrait with Cropped Hair (1940), was created to show how she felt during her marriage with Diego Rivera and how painful it was for her and her mental health since it badly affected her depression. Another artist is Kim Noble, who was diagnosed with Dissociative Identity Disorder (multiple personality disorder). An art piece of hers, My Hands are Tied (2017), connected to me by letting me see how she felt with her disorder since she felt like she was trapped and slowly slipping away. Louis Wain did big- eyed cats that were in social situations and were dedicated to amusing his wife until she passed away from cancer and left him with deep depression. Despite his tragic loss and the development of his mental health, he still continued to make these cats in memory for his wife even though the art style became different. Despite his mental challenges, he found the strength to continue what he loves and is honoring his wife’s memory. Lastly, the famous Vincent Van Gogh had numerous disorders that influenced his work and affected his mental state. Some people say that the obsessive yellow color that is used in his famous painting “The Starry Night” was due to his medical condition and his drinking habits. Despite his illnesses he incorporated it into his creative ways of artwork and knowing that he didn’t let it stop him shows that he may have been slightly overcoming it until his suicide. All these artists were brave enough to include their mental health status into their artwork and were proud of what they made along with wanting to show the world that it’s okay to not be okay.

Link to slideshow: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1bxreE5RW-Ft83nQsBSpDwbX29Om-JRTFS0PUATxyL90/edit?usp=sharing

 

Resources:

Finch, D Sam. The Do’s and Don’ts of Supporting Someone in a Mental Health Crisis. 2020

https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/supporting-someone-in-a-mental-health-crisis

 

            Graf, Stefanie. How Mental Illness Shaped the Works of These 5 Artists. 2021

https://www.thecollector.com/how-mental-illness-shaped-works-by-artists/

 

            Mental Health Foundation. How to support someone with a mental health problem. 

https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/publications/supporting-someone-mental-health-problem

 

            Prisco, Jacopo. Poignant works of art show the reality of mental illness. 2017

https://www.cnn.com/style/article/mental-illness-with-art-in-mind-exhibition/index.html

 

            SingleCare Team. Mental Health Statistics 2021. 2021

https://www.singlecare.com/blog/news/mental-health-statistics/

 

Final project/ intervention (PRESENTATION ATTACHED ALL THE WAY AT BOTTOM)

PS: lost connection on 12/8/21 when trying to present & won't be in class on 12/15 or 12/16 for the in-person presentation or the virtual zoom presentation so instead I made a google slides presentation with a little transition when you put it in present mode, as my modified presentation as I won't be in class for very personal issues and hard times. Have a great Holidays everybody and have an amazing end of semester! It was a pleasure, and thank you professor.

                                                                           

    MY GOOGLE SLIDES PRESENTATION IS ATTACHED RIGHT BELOW THIS TEXT:

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Si1U3PJq-e9YViHbzEydzVophZS8zLnKcqA34-FVChM/edit#slide=id.g107af0397b1_0_0

Gun Control in the US 

 

MY POSTER

Benjamin Bliss (Gun Violence in Movies) 

https://www.behance.net/gallery/13244021/Gun-Violence-In-Movies-(Editorial-Illustration)

Ever since the dawn of time humans have felt the need to protect themselves or their valued possessions. This was executed using physical action, a weapon, among other alternatives. One of these weapons that is still greatly used today in the US and around the world are guns. They come in all shapes, sizes and prices. Initially they were intended for self defense and hunting purposes strictly. In fact this can be seen in the second amendment of the United States that was passed on December 15th, 1791 (Interactive Constitution, 2021). It states “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” (Interactive Constitution, 2021). The creators of the constitution did not want to create a tyrannical government therefore they gave the population the right to bear arms to check the government (Vandercoy, 1994). 

Unfortunately events have not turned out as expected. Flash forward a few hundred years to 2021 and the current situation we live in, it's a disaster. We are currently living in a crisis right now. Giving the population the right to bear has caused much violence and crime. Sure there are permits and fees to pay to get the firearm but after that you're free to own one, no one can deny your amendment right. What's the first thing that comes to mind when a thief robs a bank? Obviously a high caliber gun comes into mind. Guns are very much used to commit crimes and other illicit actions. Not only that but they are used to create violence causing havoc and pain. Take for example the recent Oxford High School shooting that happened about a week ago on November 30th, 2021 (Vera, 2021). It occurred when a 15 year old boy opened fire at his High School Tuesday afternoon causing the death of 3 students and the injury of 8 others (Vera, 2021). 

Artist Benjamin Bliss’s image of a gun with a film on the barrel called “Gun Violence in Movies'' depicts that gun violence is a serious problem. Through his artwork Bliss seeks to expose gun violence through movies, I would argue that it can also be used to expose gun violence in general. As seen in the image the cartridge slots are empty and the film roll seems to be endless. This can relate to the extensive history of gun violence in the US. The film roll showcases past events and new ones about to happen as the hand seems to be about to reload. This expresses the powerful fact that gun violence has been an issue for a long time hence the film roll and it will continue to do so hence the empty cartridge slots ready to fire. Once fired these will represent new events such as the Oxford High School shooting. 

I grabbed inspiration from several sculptures and works of art. One of them is a sculpture by Carl Fedrik called the “Knotted Gun” (ny books,  2021). It portrays a revolver pointed forward with the barrel knotted, seeking to end gun violence. Another sculpture that can be found inspiration on gun violence is called “The Last Lockdown” (Stewart, 2021). It was developed by Sean Leonard and fellow workers with the purpose to prevent future shootings (Stewart, 2021) . Another piece of art that inspired me was made by Luis Prado and portrays a stop sign with bullet holes, needing to stop gun violence (Prado, 2021).

This issue is related to a social economic problem due to the fact that it affects us all in the US (society) and economically because ending or restricting gun use would cause gun dealers among other businesses to lose money. In New Jersey it only costs $50 to get a gun permit along with other pre-requisites (gun law suits, 2021). Because  it is extremely cheap, we need to impose stricter and better policies to stop gun violence. If not we can expect it to continue to happening such as seen in Bliss’s image. 

Carl Fedrik “Knotted Gun”

Sean Leonard “The Last Lockdown” 

Luis Prado 

Work Cited 

Interactive Constitution. 2021. Right to bear arms https://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/amendment/amendment-ii

Vandervoy, David. 1994. PolitiFact. Joe Biden gets history wrong on the Second Amendment limiting gun ownership

​​https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2021/jun/25/joe-biden/joe-biden-gets-history-wrong-second-amendment-limi/#:~:text=If%20Your%20Time%20is%20short%201%20The%20Second,1934%20did%20not%20rely%20on%20the%20 Second%20Amendment.

Vera, Amir. 2021. CNN. 3 dead, 8 injured in shooting at Michigan high school, undersheriff says

https://www.cnn.com/2021/11/30/us/michigan-oxford-high-school-incident/index.html

Gun Law Suits. 2021. New Jersey Gun Permit. https://gunlawsuits.org/gun-laws/new-jersey/gun-permit/

Ny books. 2021. Disarming the NRA https://www.nybooks.com/daily/2017/10/05/disarming-the-nra/

Stewart, Jessica. 2021. My Modern Met. Powerful Sculpture Reflects the Heartbreaking Impact of School Shootings

https://mymodernmet.com/last-lockdown-school-shooting-sculpture/

Prado, Luis. 2021 Posters. 

https://www.behance.net/gallery/10623633/Posters-Against-Gun-Violence

Summary 

My topic is gun violence in the United States. It can clearly be shown in the image above of Benjamin Bliss “Gun Violence in Movies”. I have chosen this topic because it has been an issue for a very long time and needs to get recognition so it can change. I have chosen the image because although some individuals understand through words others understand visually or through images. My message to the audience is that we need stinger gun violence reform. We need to stop this and take action to save lives and better our society. I have shared this post on my Facebook live page. The support was astonishing, many people supported my idea. There were a few that disagreed with me explaining that it was their right. I explained that stronger reforms needed to take place but the right wouldn't be taken away. This project helped me speak out for myself and see the bigger picture. This issue doesn't only affect me but also many people around the world. I need to speak up and bring awareness. It fits my personal aspirations because it taught me to do a deeper research using different sources along with images to convey my message, which is something I was not very good at. Other events that have helped me have been the Oxford School Shooting, the explanation of the Second Amendment (why it was done) and the gun permits in NJ (how easy they are). The research that has helped me has been the definition of the second Amendment as well as research of the Oxford School shooting and how it happened.

                                                                                                                        SHORT Animated YOUTUBE VIDEO (over 3.5 mins)

 https://youtu.be/58BDrZH7SX8

                                                             MY GOOGLE SLIDES PRESENTATION IS ATTACHED RIGHT BELOW THIS TEXT:

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Si1U3PJq-e9YViHbzEydzVophZS8zLnKcqA34-FVChM/edit#slide=id.g107af0397b1_0_0

  

PS: lost connection on 12/8/21 when trying to present & won't be in class on 12/15 or 12/16 for the in-person presentation or the virtual zoom presentation so instead I made a google slides presentation with a little transition when you put it in present mode, as my modified presentation as I won't be in class for very personal issues and hard times. Have a great Holidays everybody and have an amazing end of semester! It was a pleasure, and thank you professor.

Final Project

 For my final project I decided to a do a painting that brings up the topic of mental health. My painting shows the figure of a person greeting the viewer, but their face cannot be seen as it is clouded by a dark cloud-like mist that represents their mental health clouding their thoughts. With some spots of color around the figure but the dark is overwhelming. I chose this as my final project because this topic is one that is very important to me. So many people that I know including myself struggle with our mental health. With the pandemic, things became more complicated for people regarding their mental health. Some schools and jobs are actually taking it seriously and creating meetings regarding the topic. However, there is still work to be done in order for mental health to be taken more seriously by many. With my project I want to acknowledge mental health as something serious and must be taught how to be taken care of properly.

For my project I had some inspirations with artwork that I’ve seen through the years. One of them is the famous piece “Can’t Help Myself” by Sun Yuan and Peng Yu. Located in New York City, the famous piece displays a large robot with red liquid surrounding it. The robot shovels one part of the liquid only for the other side to spill further to the opposite side. The robots turns the opposite way and shovels the liquid toward it in order to clean up the mess. The more it tries to clean the mess, the more it spreads. This work is one of my favorites because of it’s simplicity of this important message. It also does a “performance” when it detects people watching. It does  sort of dance to get a reaction out of people, then when it detects the liquid getting too close to the edge it suddenly tries to clean the mess. There are people who have their own interpretations of what this piece is about. I like to think that this project is a reflection of people who try to do their best to please others but don’t take care of themselves with their needs. Another piece that I took inspiration from is a piece called “Smile Work Ahead” by PQHAUS. This piece shows a woman laying down on her with a clear expression of sadness and exhaustion. In front of her are tiny people that have two cranes with ropes attached to the end of her lips. The cranes begin to pull the ropes so she can form a smile. While doing this her eyes begin to water as she is forced to produce a smile. This is a piece I found recently and really enjoyed. I showed it to my friends and a lot of them found it interesting and relatable. They found it relatable to what some of them go through from time to time. A third piece of artwork that I found helped inspire my painting was “Mind Vomit” by Anonymous. This painting depicts how the painter feels in their mind. With rushes of anxiety, overthinking, negative emotions, all mixing together in a constant motion. Lastly, I was inspired by the painting “Tiger, Shark and Me Sit Down for Tea” by Emma Haddow. This painting features three individuals sitting at a table. The person sitting in the middle represents the artists, with the two sitting at her side representing anxiety and depression that’s been with her since she was a teenager. In the painting she shows herself facing her fears and the dark that lies beneath her surface.

"Can't Help Myself" by Sun Yuan and Peng Yu

"Smile Work Ahead" by PQHAUS

 

       

"Mind Vomit" by Anonymous

"Tiger, Shark and Me Sit Down for Tea" by Emma Haddow

          

I found three quotes from Kimberly Drew’s “This is What I Know About Art” that I feel connect to my project. One quote from the book stated, “Sharing art has helped me learn how to make myself heard and ask better questions.” (page 7). I relate to this quote because I hope my painting is something that people can relate to by looking at it. They’d feel understood and hopefully not alone when it comes to their own mental health. Another quote from the book that’s connected to my project is, “I’d spent my high school years at an elite boarding school feeling like the beneficiary of affirmative action, and while I knew I had potential, my grades were lackluster and an unwelcome reminder of my insecurities.” (page 13). She says how even though she had gone to an elite school it’s the insecurities within people that factors into their mental health. So many different things within a person’s life can take a toll on their mental health. The third quote that I connected with my work is, “The more art I saw, the more I wanted to share it with others.” (page 33). Artwork has the ability to relate and inspire others to share their own stories. By sharing artwork we see either verbally or electronically we can create our own ideas behind the meaning of certain pieces and start conversations. Especially with artwork that is meant to bring awareness to a certain topic, it can bring greater exposure to the topic and hopefully spark some action to be done toward the causes. 

I’ve used websites to help inform my project as well as real people to inform me about their own experience with mental health. With the websites that I used, I made sure that they were all ending with .gov, .org, .edu. If it ended in .com I still looked to make sure that it was from a reliable source rather than just a random website that isn’t meant for research purposes. I looked at the way mental health was described, especially with anxiety and depression and tried my best to interpret it in my own way for my painting. 

https://www.mentalhealth.gov/what-to-look-for/mood-disorders/depression 

https://www.nami.org/About-Mental-Illness/Mental-Health-Conditions/Anxiety-Disorders 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4953734/

https://www.skylandtrail.org/onset-of-mental-illness-first-signs-and-symptoms-in-young-adults/

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/24/well/family/young-adults-mental-health-pandemic.html

FINAL PROJECT Draft

 

Brian Vargas

Final Project

My final project is based on environmental conservation. This is a very important topic to discuss about because we humans are slowly damaging our environment. There are many environmental efforts across the world that are slowly trying to make a difference in the world. From across the world there those who are fighting to make a difference in this world and try and save it from further damage that we can creating. Many are trying to save animal species and others are trying t save the rainforests from companies and businesses that are trying to expand. I have chosen this topic because as a kid growing up, I was always interested in animals and was always trying to learn more about them. I think animals play a big part in our world and should be protected no matter what. A message for my audience would be to try and help other organizations and do your part to help protect our world and animals. The more people in the world that are exposed and learn about the environment conservations that are happening in the world the more likely those efforts can have a stronger impact on the world. Some efforts such as the Environmental Defense Fund is one of the best organizations. They are working to provide solutions under some broad categories such as climate change, oceans, wildlife, and habitats. This project helps fit into my professional aspirations and portfolio because I want to make a difference in what I do in my life and even though I am a computer science student, I believe in my life that I can make a difference in the tech world just like how there are people in the world who are making a difference in world by trying to save animals and habitats. An artist that influenced my own project was Andy Goldsworthy because he is an artist who creates artwork in forests and riverbeds using nothing but his own hands. He inspired my work because he can make artwork using nothing but his creativity and his hands. A couple of other artists that have inspired my work were Herman de Vries, Jospeh Beuys and Andrew Rogers. They drew some inspirations because these are people who have made a big impact to others because of their work. I also want to have a big impact to others because of my work. Some quotes from the class reading that connect to my project would be from the reading by John Berger it states “Any work of art “quoted” by publicity serves two purposes. Art is a sign affluence; it belongs to the good life;” This meant to me that any piece of artwork can lead to a good thing no matter what it is. Another quote that inspired my work was from Siegler it stated “Am I not a man…?” slogan, they changed the question to a statement, in the form of this striking, simple poster. The message? We are no longer asking you we are telling you.” This showed how such a simple art can have a huge impact on others. The simple poster in the reading even received national attention for months. Another quote from Siegler states “After seventeen-year old Jan Rose Kasmire approached them to talk, photographer Riboud snapped this photo, later saying “ I had a feeling the soldiers were more afraid of her than she was of the bayonets”.

Website: 

https://vargassbrian.wixsite.com/my-site-2

https://kapwi.ng/c/ORS92lGooC

 Pictures by artists: 

Work by Andy Goldsworthy entitled 'Procrastination'.

A sculpture from the 'Rhythms of Life' series by Andrew Rogers, in Ibiza (Spain).

Research:

Environmental Art: what it is, examples and artists - Iberdrola

35 Environmental Organizations and Nonprofits For a Sustainable Future (List and Ways You Can Get Involved) — GREEN DREAMER

Methods and Importance of Environmental Conservation - Conserve Energy Future (conserve-energy-future.com)

Best Environmental Conservation Programs (volunteerhq.org)

Environmental Conservation: Definition, Importance, UPSC - Leverage Edu