My Fees are Hella High

Great Videos to Watch

This is about the Hacker Space in San Francisco. . .

This is Vik Muniz, the Brazilian artist from Waste Land--other art that he does. He is incredibly engaging:

A Collaborative Effort

I never had anything to do with a mural before. The closest memory I have tied to any mural in general is on my way to my favorite Vietnamese restaurant in the city on 6^th street, but even then I couldn’t make sense of it. I didn’t understand the imagery, the creative direction, or even why it was there. People were depicted with having blue skin, there were graffiti-styled letters, and woman that was half human and half bath tub. I would acknowledge murals as simply great feats art creation on a large scale (without getting caught by the police), but now I understand different. There is so much more to a mural than it just being there. A mural is where it’s located, what it depicts, and even more so the message it brings about. Poet Pablo Neruda writes, “They are a window into the unwritten history of a neighborhood, providing depth and understand equal to or perhaps greater than that provided by any ‘official’ records,” (Neruda, 1). He argues that murals are a symbol of the visual history of its location. Murals have the ability to show more than what they are. It is an effort of many and the stories of those involved are carried into one piece.

A mural is greater than the sum of its parts. I was very self conscious about the mural to begin with. I asked myself questions like, “what would I want on it?” or “where do I even try to start?” The biggest thing I had ever drawn was no bigger than 8 ½ x 11 inches. Then I began to start thinking outside of myself. This mural was not “Gerard’s mural.” This mural is the culmination of a collective mind and its ideas. I began realizing that other people shared the same sentiments as I did. We took the key words that the MCCS students had chosen and threw in some of our own. As soon as the brainstorming was finished, we began the actual design process. One by one, we all gave input on what direction, symbols, and details should be added to the mural. “The artists accept that the mural design is open to discussion and change until the community’s final approving of the drawing,” says Neruda (7). The mural is not just the work of the artist. It is the work of the community because it is the community that is sharing this message. The artist is just the medium through which to share the message. That is why the collaborative effort of the mural is so important. It has to be something that all parties involved would be proud of.

Lastly, a mural is a manifestation of creativity. At the very least, it is an effort to beautify an area that would most likely need it. An organization in New York is making an effort to give communities the opportunity to take part in public part projects that sends messages that aren’t quite heard. The Cityarts Workshop holds the motto saying, “Latent creative talent exists in abundance among many people who have just not had the opportunity to express and refine it,” (Cockcroft, 3). Cityarts is liberating people who feel that they are unheard because of their economic status or social class. They are providing an outlet to the unheard voices of the streets. They work with communities, local businesses, and other local organizations to create murals that represent the communities involved.

Being able to be a part of creating this mural is a very exciting opportunity. I feel that without having it be a part of my class experience, I would have never taken up the chance to do something like this. I may never understand what the mural on 6^th street stands for or know why its there, but I realize now that that’s not what it’s about. It’s about sending a message the way we want it sent.

Annissa Byrd

"From the 1970's to the present, murals have offered images of residents demonstrating, raised fist and picket signs that demand solutions for pressing problems." (Neruda 3)

Residents of many areas are always trying to be heard within their communities and they are looking for a way to become a larger contributor to the place they live. The act of painting a mural provides the muralist a way to make the community a a better a place for them to live because everyday they are able to look at the beliefs they are able to bring to the community and how they were able to bring it to them. There are multiple studies that show when the physical structure of a community the people find more of a kinship with the community and are often looking for more ways to better their community. Murals represent the way the community is feeling. I think that it is beneficial that after years the mural tend to fade away because the problems or expression that are put on the wall the people are often not able to relate to them as time goes on.

After all the reading that we have done I'm am looking at the perspectives and am wishing that we would have had an other perspective. I feel as though the readings all reiterated the same ideas and stated the same argument;" the Education system is not working and its all the governments fault because of inequalities within social classes" I think that this is partially true but to place blame on one certain entity dose not take the responsibility f ones self. In a democracy people take action for what they believe and find different ways to change those problems. Within the education system I think it is important that all the members;students teachers, super attendants and so, take ownership for the results of the education system to try to provoke change.

Making a mural is one way to draw attention the the problems or even to the beauty but it dose not change the situation. it is our responsibility as a Democratic people to actively engage with our beliefs of what is right. It is also important that each person take responsibility for their actions and find a path that works for them. We have seen countless examples of support systems for the education system and it is important that each person look for the right path for them, instead of expecting it to be handed to them.

From John S.: Individuality, imagination, and creativity for a change

“Art is powerful. It moves people. It inspires. It unites.” (Goodman and Moynihan). Through some heavy and focused thinking of this quotation I came to realize that I as a young individual I have the opportunity to change other people’s lives through something as a powerful as the imagery we can produce through art. Not only can art inspire and spark imagination and creativity it has the power to unite and break down stigmas, stereotypes, social barriers, and give birth to equality, which can sometimes seem lost in today’s society. The great thing about uniting a community and bringing something positive into their environment provides a different outlook and view of the world that is around them. In hopes of these goals placing a mural in a community or neighborhood where positive vibes can be hard to find a beautiful mural filled with colorful images can empower each and every resident of that beaten down community in need of a resurrection. In the process of making a mural as a class we must come together in order to express our interests and ideas. Through many brainstorming activities we are ale to grow closer on a creative level that allows each of us to understand the overall message the group wants to send. This encourages us to put our peers’ interests before our own however in a perfect balance we are able to include and merge our personal ideas into the group’s message.
In “Cityarts Workshop” we see the process through which normal people who have no real certified artistic background have the power and drive to make murals that can influence an entire community. In murals there can be multiple messages being offered depending on the community in which they are placed. In certain murals they can strive to leave a lasting message of non-violence and resisting peer pressure and avoiding bad decisions. In a routine effort the boys sought out the minority population and addressed the obvious because most criminal behavior was linked to this portion of the community. I remember from my personal experience with murals that they can be a very touching and self-gratifying experience. In the eighth grade my class was determined to do an end of the year art project, which was either a quilt or a mural in our community. After a class votes everyone chose to do the mural, which was going to be placed in a small Latino community called “Oceano,” which was about a ten-minute drive from campus. The next step was to find a space that was appropriate, endorsed, and recognized from Oceano City Council. We started the whole process in March and it took over a month to get all the legal issues put aside and taken care of. Therefore, this month gave our class a lot of time to imagine a mural and brainstorm for ideas as a group. Some considered hiring special artists to come paint our image onto the wall for us however our teacher insisted that it would be much more powerful if we as a class took turns handling the paintbrush. We delegated the class into groups of five that would go on Monday, Wendsday, and Friday to the location and take the afternoon from one to three to get as much done as possible. Each group met for a total of four hours before the final mural would be revealed a total of two weeks. Looking back at the idea we tried to convey that year it was a combination of happiness, God, resisting violence, importance of family, and nature. It truly made us so encouraged and inspired as a class that we were able to create something this beautiful when we all thought we were not good at art. However when things such as a mural that include inspiration and motivation are the forefront of the project it is hard for them to get lost because when a group of people are focused to convey a message it will get done. Therefore in our mural project I hope that we are able to reach out to a community in need of something positive. I think that we should place this mural in a location where every resident of the community will be able to see it. “People could change their lives if they had the opportunity to express their creativity in such fields as music, theater, and sculpture.” (Cityart Workshop). This quote took me back because in relation to the first quote I used it reiterates the everlasting message that through individuality, imagination, and creativity we can use art to change the world around us.

Zehara Eckert

“The true power of these murals lies in their local, community impact, their ability to illuminate issues that resonate with real people, the oppressed, the poor, the overworked, the unrepresented. The process, the act of community building and collaboration, the beautification that community murals provide, create tangible threads (On The Wall).”

This beautiful quote from On The Wall highlights the collective process that stands behind every public mural. I can imagine how the completion of a mural can invoke pride not only in the painters of the mural but in the residents of their communities who see and enjoy the mural. In a collaborative mural, the community can present many aspects of the attitudes and hopes of local residents. This can create pride and a sense of accomplishment for the project’s participants, especially young people who may not have previously felt a strong community connection. At-risk youth in particular may not always feel a connection to their community, and it is possible they never felt it. Murals have the power to pull together people who are often segregated from their neighbors because murals allow people to cross boundaries – for example boundaries of language, age, income and social status.

When initiating a community mural, partnering artists need to decide whether “the mural will address a social and political issue or celebrate a neighborhood, its history, and its residents” (On The Wall). Mural organizers may choose the artists but ultimately it should be the community that identifies the themes, suggests the designs and images of the mural. Thus a mural is an interaction of artists, sponsors, and community residents. Muralists don’t only consider a wall’s size, but also the location and how the mural will be viewed by audiences such as pedestrians, bikers and people riding in cars. Community volunteers can provide assistance as painters, but they can also show muralists the talents and resourcefulness of the residents of that community.

Painting murals “enables artists to integrate our social and political beliefs with our artistic skills and, more importantly, …made art no longer superfluous and extravagant but something that belongs to the people” (Cityarts Workshop). I remember the discussion in Professor Lynn’s class about how some people are fearful and resist doing art because they think they are not good at it. This quote about art “that belongs to the people,” as well as our class discussion that day, emphasized that you don’t need to be a professional artist to do art. Art doesn’t only have to be superfluous to your everyday life or an extravagant piece. It can be something simple and true. Art will look different as seen through different lenses of different people. As long as it invokes some kind of emotion in its viewers, a visual or musical or performance piece is art.

Art can persuade people to get engaged with others. Nowadays, community murals are used to beautify, educate, and motivate residents to action. Through community murals, individuals from a neighborhood can bring attention to their community’s needs for social justice, better education, and even health care. Murals can transform an otherwise ugly wall into a vibrant public canvas. To me that is art.

Prompt for readings from On the Wall--and our Mural project!

In the forward to this book (in the 1st pdf), Goodman and Moynihan write:

"Art is powerful. It moves people. It inspires. It unites. It provokes the power elite. The true power of these murals lies in their local, community impact, their ability to illuminate the issues that resonate with people, the oppressed, the poor, the overworked, the unrepresented. The process, the act of community building and collaboration, the beautification that community murals provide, create intangible threads." (pdf pg. 1)

A bit later the authors write, "For many of those involved, the act of painting a mural is itself a political act" (pdf pg 4). They describe the process, the negotiation and consensus building, decision making, and the tensions that also ensue and the significance of this process to the final product and the issues, hopes, and dreams it makes visible.

The second chapter follows a particular organization called Cityarts Workshop (Lynn and I will be working with this same organization this summer in NYC-- with a group of DUC students!) and the many issues that were present when this group formed. Why is the fact that the group was not formed by professional artists significant? What are some of the issues of these times that are being addressed through murals? What are the "politics of affirmation and accusation" and how are these different approaches manifested in the murals? Find places in the text that resonates with colloquium themes and our mural. Reflect on the relationship between the processes and purpose described in Chap. 1 and the issues and artistic responses and processes described in Chapt 2. Compare our colloquium process-- use quotes from text and specifics from your experience to illustrate.

These chapters also speak to how murals are important to the community in which they reside. Location is not an arbitrary decision it is deliberate as the content.

So as you think and reflect on these questions throughout the two chapters, think about our own murals:

To whom (audience or receiver) are we speaking/acting up to? In what way, or where is it seen, and with what effect (desired social impact)?

Our murals will need homes. Reflect on where they might be displayed to reach the audience and have the effect we hope for. . .