10/18 kimberly drew quotes

3 quotes from Kimberly Drew book

https://blackcontemporaryart.tumblr.com/

“Small actions foster change. Our activism, like any other part of ourselves, develops into something bigger than a singular experience. Activism is a collective action and an investment in the lives of other people. And, as the late artist Thornton Dial once said, “If there is one thing that you can do, leave something for somebody else . . . You can work for somebody else’s freedom. You can leave something for somebody else’s child” (Drew 47).

• Art activism seeks to make advocacy personal and interactive as a means to engage the audience and evoke change within them with the hopes that they will pass it on. This quote is beautiful in the sense that, we may not individually possess the ability to change the world. Still, we can spark change in those around us and that is what is most important to inspire collective change and collective movement. It is also a comforting notion that our activism should go beyond immediate protesting; it should leave a mark, something tangible to be left behind for others to continue where we left off.

“Then, just as I began to regret the post, he went on to explain that I had also made my classmates feel “uncomfortable” during the discussion. I retorted, explaining that I was upset the conversation had quickly turned into a support circle for white guilt. He looked at me and said, “If you wanted to be in a classroom with other students of color then you should not have enrolled in art history classes” (Drew 22).

• This quote especially resonates with me as it is quintessential and an inevitable part of the minority experience. It is characteristic of an oppressor to feign victimization when confronted as this quote demonstrates. As the only visibly Muslim and ethnically ambiguous student in most academic spaces I’ve encountered thus far, I have felt the dismissal and invalidation Drew speaks of in this quote and have also adapted to being my best advocate. Though the experience is hurtful nonetheless, I have come to believe it most often stems from ignorance. So it is simultaneously as she states, these instances which propel me towards activism and change. Being a representative not only of my religion but of the Muslim-American experience and the nuanced micro-aggressions faced by my particular minority group, this quote hit.

“my voice was powerful one. Instead of leading with rage, she helped me understand this difficult crossroads. By the end of the meeting, she asked me to think deeply about what I wanted to say, and, more importantly, how I wanted it to be interpreted. It was not just enough to be angry. I had to be strategic” (Drew 33).

• While frustration, anger, and civil unrest are all valid and necessary to enact change on a larger scale, art activism allows us to ignite change within people on a psychological level. Though most activist settings share the same animating principle, traditionally they express a need for change whereas art activism conveys a feeling of why that change is necessary.

FROM THE BLOG:

- I found this set of photos Drew included to be very fashion-forward, I find the use of traditional patterns and prints to be a beautiful touch, and given that this look is very editorial it adds realism and depth to it making it artistic activism. I am curious about how the photographer/art director for this shoot wished for these to be portrayed.