Workshop to Change the World

Last Monday, June 20^th began the two-day event, Workshop to Change the World. Led by Laurel Lipkin and Leslie Thomas of Art Works Project, the workshop closely followed their organization’s model and vision of art as a powerful tool to promote global change. Students ranging from 6^th to 12^th grade gathered at Marwen in artistic pursuit of a social issue they were passionate about. The students at Workshop to Change the World chose issues ranging from domestic violence, gang violence and homelessness to environmental and water issues. Through their art, they aimed to raise awareness about and call attention to their particular issue.

Each student was paired with creative advisors and issue advisors. Alisa Roadcup, Director of Strategic Initiatives of The Voices and Faces Project, and Morgan Springer, TVFP’s communications intern, worked with student Afiya Hudgens, brainstorming ideas of how to tackle issues surrounding domestic violence in the social and public sphere. Afiya aspired to create ideological change around domestic violence amongst the public.

"Permanent" painted by Afiya Hudgens

Afiya’s verbalization of social stigmas and domestic violence victim’s experiences was powerful and thoughtful. She utilized the word “Permanent” using a subtle technique in her painting as a provocative way to both draw attention to the victim’s long-term struggle with abuse and to highlight the ability/power to change a sense of permanence by raising awareness (see Afiya's painting above). Afiya’s target audience was children and parents, addressing the fact that family loyalties often stand in the way of internal promotion of healthy family relationships. She hoped that her painting would encourage family members to stand up for and protect one another, realizing that abuse does not have to be their family norm. She encouraged people to see the every day stranger as an individual with a history –often an unknown history– and to exercise compassion when interacting with all people.

From left: Leslie Thomas, Alisa Roadcup, Morgan Springer, Afiya Hudgen, and Deborah Boardman

Leslie and Laurel created an incredibly valuable experience for these students. To hear both creative and issue advisors encouraging the children to imagine and pursue large-scale distribution of their artwork in order to effect large-scale change was remarkable. Never would I, as a teenager, have thought that my art could effect change beyond being displayed to a limited number of people vis-à-vis school or home decoration. These students were encouraged to pursue national and international organizations' support, enabling them to envision a world in which they could actually effect change with their art by utilizing such networks of support. These students had the opportunity to think about how they can create art that will produce effective change and how they can market their idea and reach a broader audience.

This workshop calls attention to the power of the visual. No matter the medium, a provocative piece has the ability to grab attention, nurturing thoughtful discussion, and inspiring others to pursue the cause each piece speaks to.

To access more information about Workshop to Change the World, visit the workshop's Facebook page.

Here you will find images of the students at work, images and videos of their final products, and the continued post-workshop dialogue. Check it out. It’s pretty amazing what these students produced in only two days! We hope to see this become an annual workshop; the work done here is much needed.