I’m pleased I’ve been asked to help plan the curriculum for another year of Culture for Change programming at Boston Asian: Youth Essential Service! The YES staff and I are putting out as much good energy into the universe as … Continue reading
My own special getaway in New England.
My studio is a secret sanctuary unlike any other, bestowed to me by my grandparents for my graduation from university. It’s a great space to escape the city and reflect on my busy life. With a view like this you can understand how it’s become my creative nexus and where I prefer to paint.
On Wednesday, July 10th, from 5-7pm, at the Boston Center For the Arts, I’ll be joined by artists and performers to speak about the importance of the arts and culture in Boston. We’ll be speaking to Boston voters, but in particular to the mayoral candidates. Learn what you can do to make sure these candidates keep arts and culture one of their priorities. Please show your support and RSVP to the event. Food and drink will be provided. This event is sponsored by MASSCreative.
Do you tweet? If so, follow me on Twitter, @SWartStudio! I tweet regularly about art related events in the Boston area, my work, classes, love of music, and comic books, plus whatever else inspires me. Views are strictly my own and retweets are not endorsements.
The pièce de résistance of “Force for Good” ready to be attached.
For the last several months I’ve been working with ten teen artists (and their friends) to create an installation that speaks out against racism in conjunction with the Culture for Change program of Boston. The group and I are finally ready to present our nearly 24′ piece to the public tomorrow evening. What follows is our artists statement. For more on the process, please check out the YES for Change Tumblr page.
A Force For Good (Against Racism)
papier-mâché (head), clear tape & saran wrap (spine), wooden frames (body), sequined fabric (skin), mirrors, and other medium.
Being given the opportunity to create some sort of artwork that educates the cause and effect of racism is both exciting and a little daunting. The subject of racism is very broad, as were our choices of art to use to translate our message. Following the process of an artist, starting with an idea, continuing with research, practicing with trial and error team building projects, and finally execution, we arrived at what stands before you.
During the course of the year we researched a variety of issues and events related to racism and in particular our community of Chinatown. We also sought out to learn more about the broad medium of installation art, knowing we did not want to necessarily produce standard 2D artwork. We learned about the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, one of the most significant restrictions on free immigration in the US. Our investigation of racism and installation art brought us all over Boston and beyond. Our group visited the Chinatown Library where we viewed an Atlas timeline of Chinatown. It was a way for us to learn and find our roots and to see how it was like for our grandparents and great grandparents to deal with the obstacles presented to them in a new country. We visited the ICA to view installation art and hopefully inspire us. We learned about Ai Wei Wei and how he used installation art to oppose the Chinese communist government. Another famous installation artist, Yayoi Kasuma, taught us that much of installation art is conceptual, meaning that the artist’s ideas or concept are more important that the actual beauty of the piece.
Our team combined ideas collected from months worth of projects and field trips and drafted a final form for our installation. What we present to the community is a Chinese inspired dragon, its spine built of interlocking lit hands, surrounding a plastic figure and several mirrors. The mirrors reflect our audiences’ faces and positive phrases allowing viewers to become a part of the piece. The encircled separated plastic figure amid the sea of reflections is used to show the effects of racism, something, at one point, everyone has encountered, making us feel isolated or less than a whole. The dragon represents our main message, coming together we become an unstoppable force against racism. We are equally proud of our final piece and of all the work our team has done. This installation is our reward to show everyone what we’ve learned about art, racism, our culture, and each other.
The Y.E.S. crew and I are finally ready to unveil our installation with a message of empowering beyond racism!
My fondest memories with my dad are of our bi-weekly trips to the comic book store in the late ’80s through the ’90s. Early in my childhood I would read Dad’s old DC and Marvel comics over and over, but I loved using my allowance to purchase comics of my own. My love of comic books initially inspired me to draw, later paint, enroll in art school and study abroad, and eventually become an art teacher. Thanks, Dad!
Happy Father’s Day to all of the dads who deserve to celebrate!
Be sure to hit “Like” on the website’s Facebook tab to check out the various music videos that are playing in my classroom or inspiring my work. I prefer to stay away from today’s Top 40 and a little jazz or classical mixed with play gems from the ’60s-’90s or current independent artists that students don’t regularly hear. I especially like artists from other countries, not played on American radio. I’m constantly posting songs on Facebook that create a week’s playlist, helping me to establish a fun and creative environment in the art room ( or “studio-classroom”, as I call it.)
Jagwar Ma is the latest band I’ve been turned onto. For more of their music, checkout their page on SoundCloud!
Getting excited in the middle of a ceramic lesson!
Saying goodbye is never easy to do, not when you’ve shared such success with amazing students, both talented, lively, and eager to learn. But, unfortunately, weeks ago I notified the education department of the New Art Center that I would be leaving the NAC at the end of the current term. I’ve needed a change for a few months and I think focusing more on my art and social work is where my heart lies. I still plan on teaching a class or two open to the public in the future, but possibly closer to my home in Boston. I cannot thank enough the wonderful support youth, adults, and families have shown me as both an educator and teen program coordinator. I’m also grateful to the center for allowing me to teach so many fun art-related courses this past year. It’s been a blast!
SWart Studio 