Kiara Holmes
ART263: Activist, Interlop & Pranksters
Prof. Cacoilo
October 21, 2023
This Is What I Know About Art
In the book “This Is What I Know About Art” by Kimberly Drew she guides us through her journey into the art world. Kimberly Drew’s autobiographical book helps illustrate some issues and themes discussed in class. She gives us a clearer view of how art and activism are inevitably linked. For Kimberely becoming an art activist wasn’t her ideal profession, she actually explains at the beginning of her book that she didn’t even have an interest in art. Her experiences with art and a matter of time caused her to realize that the art world was exactly where she belonged. It took her being in art classes, and spaces, and the realization that none of the names that were displayed or talked about were African-American. This caused her to want to create a space, her Contemporary Black Art blog, where she would educate viewers on black art and artists while also providing knowledge she had obtained through a plethora of research. Now Drew is a renowned art activist, writer, and curator. Authors can be considered activists as many people write to be inspired and to inspire, reading can help build power and confidence. Storytelling can help people see that they are not alone in how they feel and that there is at least one other person in this world who knows exactly what it’s like to be in their shoes. Historians can be considered activists as they can incorporate their own backgrounds, beliefs, and politics into history to facilitate change. Curators can be considered activists as they organize art exhibitions with the sole aim of ensuring that certain constituencies of artists are no longer excluded from the master narratives of art. A quote from the reading, “On Photography '' by Susan Sontag reminded me of Kimberely’s activism and her journey. The quote stated, “Photographs furnish evidence. Something we hear about, but doubt, seems proven when we're shown a photograph of it." This made me think about how in Kimberely’s book she described how the art spaces and classes she attended didn't provide any works from Black artists, the photos she provided on her blog proved and showed Black artists are just as great as any other artists. Another quote that reminded me of Kimberly came from the book, “The Art of Activism” by Steve Duncombe & Steve Lambert on page 64, which states, "We need distance from our ideas before we can truly understand them, and getting them out of our head and into a rough visual form allows us to step back and truly see them for what they are." This relates to Kimberly’s journey in the context of her starting her blog, if she had just left it as a thought she would be as successful as she is today.
Kimberly Drew’s entire story felt pivotal to me. There were a few quotes from Kimberly Drew’s writing that stuck out to me. One being, "(I am still at a loss for where I got the confidence to do so, but I am forever grateful to the version of myself that said yes. Yes to learning more about Black art. Yes to the things that I knew I needed to see in the world.)" When I read this quote I immediately fell in love with it. Oftentimes we allow fear and lack of confidence to ruin things and opportunities that can be beneficial to us and our growth. We have this fear in our heads attached to things that aren't even there. Things that we feel less confident in turn out to be great experiences and opportunities, especially in Kimberly Drew's case. Another one states, "... we don't have to subscribe to anyone else's idea of success." I chose this quote because I felt like this is something a lot of people struggle with. I believe that social media is the reason for this. Many people compare their own lives to the people of social media. Social media causes people to believe that their idea of being successful is incorrect because of a celebrity or social media influencer. We have to realize that every accomplishment big or small is a product of succeeding.
The art exhibition “Artistas de Latinoamérica Sueños y Posibilidades (Latin American Artists: Dreams and Possibilities)” that we visited last week in the Visual Arts building and the third floor in Hepburn Hall connects our discussions of art and activism as well as the mission of Kimberly Drew’s work and her experiences discussed in her book. The mission of Kimberly Drew’s work is to curate Black artists, which is the same as the exhibitions that we visited, the mission is to bring attention to Latin Americans who aren’t being paid attention to. They are both curating artists based on identity. Kimberely’s blog is 100% black artists, just as the exhibition is 100% Latin American artists. The curators can be considered as activists.
Let The Children Play, 2021
By Alexandra Alvarez
Description: The art series “Let the Children Play” employs acrylics and a soothing blue color palette to raise a poignant protest against child abuse, advocating for a world where innocence and freedom thrive unburdened.
I enjoyed seeing this painting because it reminded me of my own childhood, as a child I loved to pick dandelions, make a wish, and blow the seeds into the air. It reminds me of the idea of letting kids be kids. This work can be considered activism as the blue color represents the protest against child abuse. This connects to our class readings and discussions, in "Understanding Patriarchy" by Bell Hooks, she talks about how as a child she struggled to have a normal childhood as she had a very aggressive and abusive had that had very strong patriarchal views. She couldn't be a normal kid cause she was forced to live according to gender roles, and abused if she did not.
Reservoir of Expression, 2023
By Tenjin Ikeda
Description: The heart holds memory. The heart knows pain and healing. The heart beats life into all that lives. The heart inspires. The heart is the drum of humanity. The heart is where creativity moves through us all, it compels us to move and lean into life. The heart is where our ancestors live and inspire us.
I really liked this painting because it made me think, think about what it was trying to portray, and about what it meant to me. The darkness of the heart and the colorfulness around helped form my conclusion. It reminded of of having a dark and heavy heart and finding things about you that heal your heart. It also relates to Kimberly Drew, she knew in her heart she felt a way about the lack of attention black artists received, so she decided to make a difference.
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