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.
Problem Statement
Write a list of 5-10 issues in your community.
Rank them in order of importance.
For the top 3, write 3-5 sentences explaining their impact on the community and what action steps can help improves these situations.
Now, looking at your top 3, pick one that will be your focus for the remainder of our time together.
Prepare to share and discuss with the group.
Revise your writing from #3 (above), considering any information that came up during the discussion.
Think of this in terms of a problem in the community.
Your goal is to:
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)
Black Boys Bloom
by Artist Von Canon
View the art work below.
Write down things you notice.
What choices do you see that the artist made? What can you infer about these choices?
What does the collection make you think about?
What questions do you have?
What connections can you make?
What are other ideas that come to mind?
Ekphrasis. “Description” in Greek. An ekphrastic poem is a vivid description of a scene or, more commonly, a work of art. Through the imaginative act of narrating and reflecting on the “action” of a painting or sculpture, the poet may amplify and expand its meaning. (poetryfoundation.org)
Read an interview with Von Canon discuss his creative method and philosophy behind the BBB series here.
5 minute write. Respond in one of the following ways:
(Q) Question – ask about something in the art or discussion of art that is unclear
(C) Connect – make a connection to your life, the world, or another text (text includes any media and written text)
(P) Predict – anticipate what will occur based on what’s in the art
(CL) Clarify – answer earlier questions or confirm/disaffirm a prediction
(R) Reflect – think deeply about what the art means in a broad sense – not just to the subject (people) in the art
(E) Evaluate - make a judgment about what the artist is trying to say (adapted from houstonisd.org)
What conclusions can you draw about the world, about human nature, or just the way things work?
Review your notes.
Write a response (poem, prose, letter, or other writing), an imaginative act through narration and reflection on the “action” of one of Von Canon’s works in the blog post. You, the poet and/or great writer, should work to amplify and expand its meaning.
Using Creativity in to Draw Attention to a Cause
Think back to the topic that you picked for your problem statement.
How can you use creativity to help people understand the details of your issue?
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Compile images and words digitally. You can create a free account on canva.com. Pull images from the internet or unsplash.com (these are copyright free).
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A protest poster is used publicly to relay disapproval of something. Using metaphor or catchy slogans can help the viewers of the protest sign understand the meaning and/ or further the impact of the meaning through the use of rhetoric.
See these climate change protest posters from the What Design Can Do.
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A List of Demands are a list of action that an oppressor is required to do to rectify a wrong against a group of people. See this example from Mizzou Student Athletes.
Instrumental
Using ONLY your mouth and other body parts as an instrument, create a minute long instrumental.
Record as an audio file or video.
Let this be a pure expression of your topic if working independently OR as a group decide.
Skit
Write a 2-3 minute skit in which you reveal a truth as it related to your topic.
This can be done independently or in small groups.
Determine whether your skit is serious or funny.
If you are working independently, make sure this skit addresses the topic you have already been working on.
Feel free to record or simply share the script.
Dramatic Monologue
Let’s Write Our Artist Statements
Make a google file
What is the overall topic of your project and why did you choose that?
What are 3- 4 subtopics that you chose to include in this project? What do you want the our audience to know about these subtopics? How do they relate to society + is there a personal connection?
What do you want the audience to know about your project & your creation of the project?
What is the title of your project as a whole?
What are the titles of each work and what are the mediums of each work?
Paint it Out
To wrap up our time together, we are going to paint. We can just play with colors and textures on the page or we can bring structured brilliance, like Basquiat. I personally enjoy painting as meditation and stress relief. Think about how this art can also be an extension of your topic. Maybe the colors or the shapes lean into your topic. Maybe it is just free expression.
WE will also take this time to share if we have any creatives in the room who want to give us the honor or hearing their work.