Influence of Art in Social Justice
- The Hand That Will Rule the World by Ralph Chaplin
- All Power to the People by Emory Douglas
- Judith Beheading Holofernes by Caravaggio
- Judith Slaying Holofernes by Gentileschi
- Mississippi incident by Vincent Smith
- Unite by Barbara Jones
- The Liberation of Aunt Jemima by Betye Saar
- The Problem We All Live With by Norman Rockwell
- Do women have to be naked to get into the Met Museum? by Guerilla Girls
- All Hands on Deck by Damon Davis
Summary
The show intends to show the history of social struggle to achieve social justice. Analyzing different works of art helps one get to acknowledge the efforts the artistes had in influencing change and identifying the challenges that existed in the society. Putting together these works of art would show different social injustices that existed in society at different times. Although the museum is a historical site, the materials existing in the library may influence society positively when they displayed and described at the right time and effectively. The contemporary society needs to understand that the injustices existing in the society got fought through the talents that the people had and the commitment they had towards their work. The show would remind the audience of the importance of art in their struggles and search for equality. Allowing the show a chance to display the artworks would allow the curator to parade the knowledge they have on social change through art.
Ideas
- The artworks connect through ideologies they carry
- The drawings have some visual elements that show the position of the artiste in the injustices that existed in their time. For example, ‘The Liberation of Aunt Jemima’ by Betye Saar, shows how the availability of resources to the people influences their power and position in society.
- The drawings present one part of the larger community being hated by the other group because of their gender, race, or ethnicity. For instance, ‘The Problem We All Live With’ by Norman Rockwell presents the challenges that a black girl faces for attending an all-white school. The racial hatred forces society to offer security to the girl as she walks to the school.
- The artwork features show different hoe individuals had diverging views on social groups. For instance, ‘Judith Beheading Holofernes’ by Caravaggio and ‘Judith Slaying Holofernes’ by Gentileschi, present the same stories presented according to individual perception on the roles and responsibilities of women.
- The artworks present the history of human struggle to make society better through social change and education. For instance, ‘Unite by Barbara’ Jones and ‘The Hand That Will Rule the World’ by Ralph Chaplin shows the solidarity of people in fighting towards African-American liberties and workers’ liberty, respectively.
The Layout
The show includes ten artwork that addresses different social injustices in society. The paintings would get placed on the wall according to the injustice they address. Paintings addressing similar social injustices get placed close to each other to identify the differences in their content and ideas. On the first wall, ‘The Hand That Will Rule the World’ by Ralph Chaplin and ‘The Liberation of Aunt Jemima’ by Betye Saar, would be displayed as they express the social injustices in terms of work. On the second wall, ‘All Power to the People’ by Emory Douglas, ‘Unite’ by Barbara Jones, and ‘The Problem We All Live With’ by Norman Rockwell get displayed for their expression of racial injustices that occurred in the society especially to the minority groups. The paintings include colors that mobilize African-Americans to raise against the social injustices. On the fourth wall, ‘Judith Beheading Holofernes’ by Caravaggio, ‘Judith Slaying Holofernes’ by Gentileschi, and ‘Do women have to be naked to get into the Met Museum?’ by Guerilla Girls, get displayed to show the injustices the society had on women especially in work presentation. The fourth wall includes the paintings of ‘Mississippi incident’ by Vincent Smith and ‘All Hands on Deck’ by Damon Davis to show actions against the injustices that occurred to the society through the hands of individuals in power as sheriffs and policemen.
The Themes
- The show includes an assessment of equality, civil rights, feminism, and human rights
- Art styles would get explored in the show to identify how they have been used to expose the injustices that occur in society.
- The show would motivate individuals to use available materials to fight injustices.
- The show would also influence the population to recognize the struggles of past artists and appreciate their work through social change.
- The show would influence the right to express themselves through different platforms.
- The minority groups would overcome the restrictions created by society to become more active in society through work and talent expression.
- Art gets appreciated as a form of creating awareness of different social aspects in society.