“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.
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