2020 Art for Social Change Competition Submissions
The Art for Social Change Competition and Showcase accepts submissions from four categories: Remembering MLK and Revitalizing the Dream, Social Justice in Action, Community Building at WSU, and Campus Civic Poet.
Statue or Statute?
Submitted by James Asare (Certificate of Recognition)
“A statue is nothing without a statute, a statute is everything without a statue…”
Artist’s Statement: As an aspiring Mathematician, I spend a lot of time doing Math and the hobby you’ll catch me engaged in when not doing Math is writing poetry. I believe everyone has a voice and that voice can be heard; be it as a soloist or in the masses of the choir, a voice note will be struck.
Unguarded
Submitted by Hannah Levy (Community Building at WSU Award Winner)
Artist’s Statement: As a student-athlete there is an incredible amount of resources available. However, when you pair resources for physical health and mental health next to each other, we are able to see an undeniable discrepancy between the two. Given the nature of sports performance, athletes are recognized and praised for pushing through pain, being extremely tough, gritty and physically apt.
Because of this conception of a “typical athlete” there is an imbalance of attention and resources placed on the physical health, state, ability and growth of an athlete over their mental health, state, ability and growth. I created a project addressing help-seeking and accessibility barriers to mental health services for student athletes. I chose to do a documentary dance where I interviewed 9 student athletes (each from different Pac 12 institutions and sports) and use recordings of these interviews
as part of my music score.
How WSU: Finding Home
Submitted by Allyson Pang
“It never matters how far we go.
Miles across the land or miles across the sea—
This is home.”
Artist’s Statement: The purpose of my works is to uplift others and prove that no voice should go unrecognized. I might be quiet, but art gives me a voice to speak with, to better portray my perspective to others. Creativity is flexible and is able to incorporate various artistic elements into one another to create an entirely new piece. I hope to show that it is possible to dip art forms into different mediums; the purpose of art is to be creative after all.
this is for [me] you
Submitted by Allyson Pang (Campus Civic Poet Award)
“This year, the little dots that freckle the Earth
Have been the ones to matter most to me.”
this is for you
Submitted by Allyson Pang
“I used to believe that I was written into existence
like a character written into a story…”
I Can Dream
Submitted by Alison Poteracke (MLK and Revitalizing the Dream Award Winner)
(From “Real People Jazz Suite”)
Artist’s Statement: As a classical and jazz composer I have dedicated my career to social activism and writing socially active music. This composition was written as the final track to my latest jazz suite entitled “Real People”. The suite itself hopes to serve as a platform to start a conversation about the effects of violence throughout the United States of America and how violence affects individuals and their communities. This particular composition is a reflection of my own story and illustrates the hopes and fears I possess as a human being fighting for social change.
Safe Space/Hats Without Homes – “For You”
Submitted by Alison Poteracke
Artist’s Statement: Safe Space is a group on campus facilitated by an advisor with the Psychology Department to provide a space for all students to practice skills of self-care through artistic expression. Last semester the group (comprised of students and staff) mainly focused on knitting and crocheting through the Hats Without Homes project which has culminated in the donation of 60 hats to Alternatives to Violence of the Palouse in December 2019. Hats Without Homes is a project that was started in 2018 by the same advisor after seeing a need for warm clothing items within the community during the harsh winter months. Safe Space has continued this project and hopes to be able to provide more hats to the WSU and Pullman community at large.
97 Years Back
Submitted by Sovann Robinson (Fine Arts Choice Award Winner)
Artist’s Statement: This garment/wearable art piece juxtaposes two local examples of white supremacy, 96 years apart, and highlights how racism has evolved and persisted in our community, both socially and in government. The piece features imagery from a 1923 Ku Klux Klan cross burning in Colfax, Washington, an event described as “spectacular and inspiring” by the Watcher on the Tower, the Seattle Klan newspaper.
The piece also features news clippings covering James Alsup’s election and ejection from Whitman County GOP, as well as imagery of him at the 2016 WSU Trump Wall, and of him attending the infamous 2017 Charlottesville white supremacy rally. I chose to highlight the bleak truth of where I live, the place I call home. Although expression has changed over time, white supremacy and racism are defining aspects of Whitman County’s history, policy, and leadership.
Stop Killing Us
Submitted by Sarina Sharpe (Certificate of Recognition)
Artist’s Statement: The killing of Black transgender women is rampant in America and more attention should be brought to it. All over the country, women like Dana Martin, Ashanti Carmon, Claire Legato, and many others are unjustly robbed of life at young ages. According to the Human Rights Campaign, at least 22 transgender and gender non-conforming people were killed in 2019.
In the new year, the United States should work much harder to support and protect the Black transgender community and transgender communities of color. My digital painting attempts to grab the viewer’s attention and focus it on the unacceptable and brutal reality of Black trans women.
Spare Change
Submitted by Rachel Tveit (Social Justice in Action Award Winner)
Artist’s Statement: Spare Change draws attention to the issue of homelessness in our country and takes the audience on an emotional journey that ends with a list of ways that people can directly help. There is no magic fix and we can’t rely on a few people doing a lot to end homelessness, we need the magic of everybody doing a little.
Dreams
Submitted by Sunnyside Elementary (Community Outreach Award)
Artist’s Statement: Sunnyside students in kindergarten through 5th grade wrote or drew thoughts and ideas about kindness, peace, revitalizing the dream, and MLK. These ideas were hung on a mobile by grade, representing all our students’ dreams.
A special thank you to the Department of Fine Arts and the MFA students who make this inaugural exhibition vision a reality to showcase our talented graduate and undergraduate students and their impactful artistic creations.