Intertwined Intricacies:

Using Art and Writing to Interrogate Social Justice Issues

A woman with short, bright orange hair, wearing black glasses, smiling in an indoor setting with framed art and green plants in the background.

Nakeysha

Nakeysha Roberts Washington, M.S. Ed, CEO of Genre: Urban Arts, an organization centered on providing publishing, exhibition, performance, and educational opportunities for creatives in urbanity. Through Genre, she is also Director and Facilitator for the Revolutionary Art and  Culture Residency, which focuses on content creation, including critical writing and film, about the creative ecosphere from a BIPOC perspective.

Close-up of a woman with curly hair, blue eyes, and a nose ring, wearing a red sweater and colorful earrings.

Amanda Rubí

I am a boricua woman born & raised in Milwaukee. I am a creator, primarily in visual arts but slowly and surely building my skills in photography, content production and creative writing and poetry. I create to help myself process the world, which is often dark and depressing but I hope my creations bring joy and light to others as they did me. I am inspired most by my culture, ancestry, travel, and those loved ones I surround myself with most.

Expectations:

  • This is a safe space to share.

  • You may choose to share or not. Please be present and listen when your peers are speaking. 

  • Be free in your creativity.

  • Show up with your full self.

Goals:

  • Think critically and collaboratively about social issues via writing and discussion.

  • Create an metaphorical art piece based on writing from your Thinking Deeply sheet and your chosen writing component.

Art installation with paper cutouts of a smiling lion face, clouds, and three women on a white circular base, displayed in an art gallery with paintings on the walls.
A digital sign shows the word 'LOADING...' with a loading bar beneath it that has five bars, of which the first four are filled in white and the last one is empty.

Click below to begin thinking critically.

HERE
Art installation with green soda cans spelling out "Power to the People" on a gray wall.

You choose:

PROBLEM STATEMENT

Write a 3 paragraph Problem + Solution Statement about your topic.

  • explain the problem

  • explain why this problem is important to you

  • explain how this problem impacts the community

  • outline ways that this problem can be rectified (fixed)

POEM

Write a 20 line poem. Implement elements of poetry including metaphor and simile to construct a powerful poetic statement that will uncover your details of your topic and/or persuade the reader to want to learn more about the topic.

A decorative mobile sculpture featuring a smiling sun with a face at the top, clouds and birds hanging from thin strings, a large spiral shape with women’s faces in the middle, and greenery at the bottom, positioned by a large window with a city street outside.
Handwritten instructions on creating a spiral art project with numbered steps and small illustrative sketches. The title reads 'Materials' and lists paper, scissors, card board, water color paint, consumption paper, pens, markers, and crayons.
Directions, Features, and Meanings of Paper Sculptures