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A Deeper Look
How has art been used historically in public health settings?
Environmental Justice
Kira Nemeth
We view the world as being a mother figure, an entity that is here only to support and sustain our own lives. We take from her without giving back. This piece intrigued me in that the roles are reversed; we must take care of our Mother Earth. The piece calls out our selfishness by pointing out the fact that we are always focused on ourselves. However, we must stop and recognize that the reason we are able to do so much for ourselves is because of our world in the first place. Therefore, we must protect our home and advocate for her well being, otherwise we will have nothing. This piece promotes our responsibility by showing the large fist and implementing the banner that is draped across the Earth like a protective cover.
Poverty
Comic strips that speak to social justice issues often incorporate dry humor to underscore the unjust issues that plague society. In this particular example, we are shown the traditional passing down of wealth, which we are familiar with in terms of billionares, royalty, etc. However, one aspect of this that we often overlook is the fact that poverty is also passed down in a family, which highlights the systemic issue surrounding poverty. This piece of art emphasizes the parallels between the two social classes and prompts the viewer to recognize the fact that poverty is not someone's fault.
Immigration
This project by Suzanne Lacy (linked above) aims to foster feelings of camaraderie and understanding between different types of people. She included immigrants from many countries and social classes in one space, where each person brought a traditional dish from her background and they collectively wrote down their recipes on the table cloths. The event also included heartfelt spoken word performances from attendees, where each was able to share her life story and experience as an immigrant. By making this a live event rather than an immobile piece on a canvas, Lacy is able to bring a more personal touch to the topic at hand, painting the issue of immigration as one that has great depth and diversity to it. In this way, the audience reading about this project is prompted to recognize immigrants as individual people with lives and families rather than just as a monotonous "something".
Mental Health
Talking about mental health is hard. It's hard to share your own experiences with it but it's also hard to hear others' stories. When someone confides in you about their struggles with mental health, how are you supposed to react? What's the right facial expression or words of comfort? Are words of comfort even acceptable?
These struggles and more are why we tend to shy away from conversations about mental health.
I find comfort in watching or performing dances because nothing is expected of the audience. The performer presents their work and it is up to each person to internalize it in the way they see fit. You are not expected to share a response or carry a conversation forward. Therefore, this particular piece is especially moving because it translates the poet's rawest feelings and associated experiences and presents it in the dancers' most comfortable form of communication. They put their hearts into the performance, and after it is over, the audience is left to ponder the story shared and think about their experience viewing the performance and the feelings that came with it.
Or not at all, if they want.
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