Choice of Project
Art, as defined by Merriam Webster dictionary, is “something that is created with imagination and skill and that is beautiful or that expresses important ideas or feelings”. Art is starting to diminish in society today and around the world people are suffering from the lack of a creative mind. During this semester project, I have taken on a project that tackles the global issue of art diminishing and slowly fading from society when we really need it most. Throughout the semester I will be teaming up with Wham, a local non profit organization that's mission is to promote, support and extend the importance of art to all in the community. Through this organization there are numerous projects that I will be participating in including the veterans, youth and adaptive art classes, preparing for the recycled art show in April, and bring the joy of art to all those who seek it. Along with volunteering every week, I will upload vlogs, personal reflections about my experience as a volunteer and post links to articles tied to art therapy, Wham itself, and any advances or interesting facts associated with the issue. By intertwining written and video documentation it will give a better picture of what I am doing in the community, and also allow me to tie it to events within the government and dealing with this issue. The book I will also be reading weekly is “Art Therapy and the Neuroscience of Relationships, Creativity, and Resiliency: Skills and Practices” by Noah Hass-Cohen and Johanna Clyde Findlay. This book digs deeper into the impact art has on the human body, its benefits, complications and goes into detail about using specific principles in cases that will support a person in the best way possible. By reading this it will further my understanding of the impact of art, and utilize this information to work with the people in classes and help them focus on areas of art that will benefit them most.
How it relates to government
This type of project addresses numerous social and political issues that our community and the world is struggling to address; and art is the answer. The government develops a fiscal budget each year, and as time goes on the National Endowment for the Arts appropriations committee is slowly getting less and less funding. As the government does less to support the art programs, non profit organizations like Wham are making up for the government's lack of support in this area of many peoples lives. Veterans with PTSD, depression or other illnesses all come to Wham and rely on it to get them through the week; the hope of coming to create and extend themselves since they are not capable of doing it in other ways. Children in shelters, low income families, and those with disabilities all attend the various art classes, and the volunteers (including myself) work to bring them happiness, to open their mind and teach them about creativity and the endless ways one person can utilize art to make a difference in the world. This is especially important because across the country school districts are having to make budget cuts, and art programs are the first to go. Organizations like Wham are the ones that step in and make up for the lack of art programs in schools, and provide students the opportunity to still make art pieces for a small cost. Also, the recycled art show in April coming up and is an event open to the community and serves as an example of how important recycling is, and how you can be as creative as you want and reuse materials in other ways to save the planet. All of these issues and many more are issues that the government does not find important, and the people rely on organizations and other people to carry on that message. Many states have open legislation about art programs, while there are fewer within Congress and the national government. There is more effort being put in with the local governments opposed to the national government because art programs do not fall under one of the major problems compared to national defense in the light of some, but the local governments are able to do more because of their ability to connect and please the people of the district or state in a closer way to see what they want to see accomplished and be accessible to them.
Why it is important to me
This organization and these social issues are all very close to my heart, and I believe it is a growing issue that art is starting to disappear. My family friend, Jane Odom, has worked with me for about two years on multiple different art projects, and she works with Wham and other studios as an adaptive arts teacher and travels to different schools in the district. She has inspired me to be the person I am today, and has shown me how important art is in the world. By reaching out and volunteering with her, it has made my heart full to see how many people find joy in creating beautiful and crazy pieces of art from decorating christmas ornaments and painting silly self portraits to doing Raku firing and bead work. I have witnessed how art has changed the lives of so many people who were struggling, and found happiness in attending art classes and interacting with us, telling us stories, and extending their minds to be more creative and interactive. It is a shame that art therapy and art programs are being cut by the government, as I have seen how responsive people are to it. I can not imagine future generations not experiencing the joy that art brings into people's lives, and by working with Wham for the next semester it will help me to change people's lives by bringing them happiness through art, and to see them grow mentally, physically and emotionally through the programs I will be assisting with.