In this project students will learn what activism is and how to use art to create positive change. We will work together as a group to stand up for the health of the environment, and students will have the opportunity to work individually or in small groups to advocate for a cause they believe in. Throughout the week we will be inspired by interviewing artists and activists who will share their passion and their strategy. We will create art in order to elicit responses and inspire positive change.
Day 1
Today was the first day of Art & Activism. We started with discussing what activism is and the different types of activism. The group learned about different artists who have participated in Sea Walls in the Boston area. Later that day, we got to have an official zoom meeting with Nneka Jones, one of the many participants in Sea Walls as well as her own projects with activism. To continue to think about art and activism, we watched a TEDTALK from JR, an artist originally from France, and his work on bringing people together. - Zoie '25
Day 2
Today we looked more into our essential question “How can we use art to personalize and promote a cause we believe in?” on our trip to East Boston. We spent the day, through the rain and cold weather, finding the Boston Sea Walls. We walked to 17 of the murals including Plastic Pandora, Save our Space, and Intersectional Environmentalism: Generational Uproot by Nneka Jones, who we met yesterday over Zoom! Looking back on our essential question we talked about how seeing these murals in person can show the importance of the cause, and have more impact, than seeing them on a screen. – Sarah ‘27
Day 3
After looking at the Sea Walls in Boston yesterday, we traveled to the Studio of Dominic Esposito. We learned about his Opioid Spoon Project, and his more current project, the Memorial Doorway. He showed us his studio, and how he uses molds to create a lot of his work. He often combines the molds with paintings, which we also saw in his studio. All of his work was a great way to show how art and activism can be closely related. After traveling back to New Hampton, our group began planning our own projects. The topics range from pollution to endangered animals. Independently, we answered several questions for our project proposals, such as ‘Who will experience the work?’ And ‘What materials will you need?’. Now prepared for our projects, we’ll start to work on them tomorrow. - Inaya '27
Day 4
Today, we started off by reflecting on our visit to Dominic Esposito’s studio. We talked about what we took away and how the visit will impact our individual projects. Next, we each shared our proposals for the projects. We had to identify a cause or issue to stand up for, think about design, technique, and materials, and make a basic sketch.
The second part of the day was spent creating. This included painting, 3D sculptures, and casting. We spent some of the morning and all afternoon on this stage. We will continue creating our artworks for the rest of the week. -Adia '27
Day 5
Today we met as a group, looked at our 'works in process', and discussed our next steps. Students spent the day working on their projects. Some were able to finish, a few need time tomorrow morning. These students are making some fantastic conceptual art!
Day 6
Saturday! The week has flown by. Today some of us continued to work on and finish our art works. Some of us finished yesterday, and we wrote our artist statements and then came up with ideas for displaying our work in the showcase in the gym that will happen after spring break.
As each of us finished our works we moved them into the gallery. We ended our morning with a reflection on our week and our essential question "How can we use art to personalize and promote a cause we believe in?" Our finished projects show how we each answered the question! We each presented our works to the group and to Ms. Larkin in a strong culmination of our week.