The importance of combining art and activism
After organizing a video event intended to give people of color a chance to have their voices heard through art, as well as to bring awareness to the Black Lives Matter movement, Catlin Gabel School (CGS) sophomores Niah Sei and Annie Chang started the student club POC Voices Heard to give people of color a platform to have their opinions heard and appreciated.
“We felt sort of silenced in our community, and we didn’t really feel like we had a platform to speak about racial issues at CGS, so we wanted to create a club to give people of color their voice,” said Chang.
Since their first video in the summer showcasing different visual and performing art pieces, the group has been working on future ideas such as a mural in the community and more events similar to the one organized in the summer.
The main thing POC Voices Heard has been doing is having club meetings and posting on their Instagram, which features informational posts on cultural appropriation and other information about the club with art from BIPOC artists in the community.
“We thought it would be nice if people that are more artistic would be able to express their feelings as well,” explains Sei when talking about why art has been incorporated into the club’s work and why they find art such an important part of activism.
“For me, art displays a lot of emotions that I have a lot harder of a time expressing through language,” said student, artist, and club member Jane Zeigler. “A lot of times, art shows people a different point of view that they wouldn't necessarily be able to comprehend through reading an article or listening to a podcast.”
Art by Jane Ziegler.
One of the goals the group has for the future is to work with The CENTER, which is a hub for youth programs in Portland focused on creating opportunities for youth creativity, engagement, and education.
The group is also hoping to connect with the students in the Lower School through some sort of mentoring or pairing for students of color as well as possible help with school-related questions or problems.
This would allow students to create a bond and would hopefully help younger students feel like they have allies and support in the community.
After talking this idea over with some administrators, they came to the conclusion that because we are currently in remote learning, it might be easier to connect the affinity groups between the Upper and Lower School.
The overall goal for the future of POC Voices Heard is to give people of color a space where they feel supported and like their views are being heard and uplifted in ways such as movie nights and art galleries.
“This club has been a really cool way to try and let people have that outlet or encourage people to pay attention to the art that students of color are making,” Zeigler said.
The Center for Artistic Activism lists nine reasons for including art in activism. The authors make the point that in combining art and activism, the activism part can be more appealing to a wider range of people. Although many people consider themselves to be apolitical or not interested in politics, most people have some form of art where they like to express themselves creatively.
“Art is really unique in that, drawing paintings and that kind of thing can illustrate how people view the world,” Ziegler shares.
Combining activism and art can both help artists feel like their work is making a change and can help activists have less trouble continuing their work through the battle of making change.
One final important point in the article from The Center for Artistic Activism is that using artistic activism is nonviolent. Although art is always open for interpretation and can be used in many different ways, the idea behind it is peaceful and is used to persuade, not to force ideas upon people.
Zeigler agrees. “[Art] is a very non-confrontational way to raise awareness about things you care about… It can be almost more productive because it's hard to get mad at a drawing.”
Art has always been a way for people to express themselves and their ideas. When you combine art and activism and create a platform for more artistically minded people, you can appeal to a wider range or people and share your voice in a powerful yet nonviolent way.
If you would like to join the POC Voices Heard club, they meet on Thursdays from 3:00-3:30 PM. To get in contact with the club leaders you can email Niah Sei at sein@catlin.edu or Annie Chang changa@catlin.edu.