What Can Art Do?

For my course Rhetoric, I was challenged with the task to use art to express an issue.

This course has gone on for about 1 month and we looked at a few examples of how powerful art came to influence people. Going back in time colonists in the 13 colonies used images of all sorts to bring others together to revolt against Great Britain. They were successful in conveying a message to give people to interpret in there own ways. This plays a role in our world today a lot in protest against certain agendas. During one of our FEs, we actually visited a monument made of clay for Dr. MLK showing how segregation was a problem but some didn’t wanna face it. The course was made basically to get what you want no matter bad or good. The outcome is what we focus on. So without further ado, I present my art piece.

J.L 2019

Artist Statement
My name J.L, and in this art piece I decided to make this on an experience that affected me. So I picked racial profiling. I chose this topic because it's something that happens to me and family members often by police officers. In the artwork, I decided to go simple so I can better explain it. The scenery takes place on the south side of Chicago at sunset. There’s a foreground of apartments, small businesses, and liquor stores. The main focus is a police car racing down a one-way street were two black kids happen to be crossing while passing a ball. This is conveying how the system is nonfunctional and why it needs to change. I also added a caption on the side of the car saying, "see them". Mostly because that's their reaction seeing a black male. Then in my imagination by portraying a revolt against the police I adding a monster truck to run over the police car. This in my mind demonstrates a strike back against it. I wanted to show something.

I believe that by looking at this people will shake their heads for a sec like dang this still going on. People that are black should care the most because this is a tactic used to keep us down and under self-conscious mind control. The power over my image reflects sadness, rage, and anger. Racially profiling has always been a problem though it occurs every day, in cities and towns across the country, when law enforcement and private security target people of color for humiliating and often frightening detentions, interrogations, and searches without evidence of criminal activity and based on perceived race. This is not only affecting blacks but many other minority groups as well. Most of the time in stop and search about 85 percent of the time people don’t have anything. Could you imagine, just to be stopped searched and harassed based on an assumption that society makes of your ethnic group? Crazy right. I myself have been stopped and searched 12 times this entire year. It takes a toll on me mentally and sometimes I don't even go outside to prevent any altercations.

For my art piece, I chose to draw on a big thick piece of a poster so I could color and express myself the way I felt best. Most of my materials included a drawing pencil, markers, and color pencils. This piece was rushed, I didn't take my time to add details. Art takes time to develop it’s a process that I have to learn to be more patient. My message is getting across by displaying younger kids and stepping into their shoes for a moment in time feeling that uncertainty of what's gonna happen next. I mostly tried to portray emotions in this by adding children because they are so fragile and innocent. Ethos was on the top of my list Logos came in next by showing how racial profiling should stop because it is wrong. My artwork for this project would be effective if it was posted around Chicago near schools and police stations. I feel like the more eyes and attention on a particular subject the more things get done. Also if the youth can see something that impacts everyone they will do things to make a change because they are the future.

Cited Sources

Natarajan, R. (2019, March 1). Racial profiling has destroyed public trust in police. Cops are exploiting our weak laws against it. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2014/12/15/racial-profiling-has-destroyed-public-trust-in-police-cops-are-exploiting-our-weak-laws-against-it/.

Yan, H. (2018, May 11). This is why everyday racial profiling is so dangerous. Retrieved from https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/11/us/everyday-racial-profiling-consequences-trnd/index.html.