Author Archives: cw593

Full Circle

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After a year of attending LWYL webinars and listening to a variety of panelists discuss their work and impact on society, I have learned a lot about various types of injustice and how people are actively addressing these issues through different means. In this last webinar, the panelists discussed their art and how they hope to address societal issues through their work. While we have seen many artists who work with more physical mediums, such as printing, painting, and mixed media, one of the panelists this time is a dancer. It was really cool to see how she is able to express the story of the mush hole through dance. In addition, she added more visual elements to the performance in order to more clearly convey her story, which was really interesting to watch. Another panelist that really stood out to me was Julian Fisher, who is not only a neurologist but also a photojournalist. One point he mentioned is that we are flooded with information and photos from the internet, and scrolling through phones, tablets, and PCs only exacerbates the short attention span for photos and art. Many people simply glance through images but never really dwell on it for long. This happens not only for digital photos and art but also in museums. I realized that this applies a lot to me; when I visit art museums or other museums, there is always a feeling that I need to see more rather than just seeing a few and understanding those few pieces more deeply. Since Julian is also a neurologist, he mentioned how we could test how the human brain would respond when looking at art and how long people actually look at art. I think this would be interesting to see how the time spent “dwelling” on art could relate to brain activity levels. 

Overall, I learned a lot this semester about social inequalities and issues and the people that hope to shed light on these problems and address them. I think it was really valuable to be able to hear from different people and their perspectives on various topics, such as environmental inequality, housing inequality, and much more.

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The Art of Dialogue

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In this webinar, Crystal Clarity and Kadie Salfi discuss their work and the importance of the dialogue they hope to start with their artwork. While both artists work in different mediums, they both are passionate about using art to provoke discussion around the issues they depict in their work. The different ways in which they present their work also contribute to how the message is communicated and how the viewer reacts. For example, Kadie often shows her work in gallery spaces, but in one show she placed her depictions of guns around locations of gun related books in a library. This sparked a variety of different reactions for people who saw her works scattered around the library. 

The way that the art was made also allows for a fruitful experience for the artists themselves. Crystal talked about how the participation aspect of street art allows for engagement in topics that may personally affect the artist and helps to increase confidence and various skills that are not just limited to creating art. The artists are able to express themselves in this visual way, which can be just as meaningful as written mediums. While the final product is important, the creative process is just as impactful. I was also struck by the mental impact that the artists experience when working on heavy topics, and how it can also be mentally taxing to create art for these issues, such as gun violence, war, racism, police, etc. While a lot of people turn to art for healing and often experience it as a cathartic process that relieves stress, it can also, in turn, cause stress for artists who address these topics. Overall, I think that it requires a lot of dedication in order to create thought-provoking art based on these topics, and I really enjoyed seeing the pieces that the artists showed during the panel. 

Effect of Housing and the Climate on Communities

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The topics discussed in this webinar are a great continuation of some topics discussed in the last LWYL webinar on climate injustice. It is important to recognize that pollution and housing discrimination are closely linked issues. Minorities are more vulnerable to the effects of climate change in part because of racist housing polices and housing discrimination.

People of color are more likely to live in environments with toxic waste disposal, extreme heat, pollution, etc. Middle class white households are often favored when developing housing in nicer areas that are free from hazardous living conditions. Minorities are then forced to live in areas that are valued lower, which are more likely to have these environmental hazards, such as toxic waste, that can severely affect quality of life and human health. However, even sickness from exposure to these toxins are often not addressed and lead to declining health. Lack of access to good healthcare or the high costs of healthcare effectively prevent communities from leading a decent quality of life, and these problems can persist into future generations. In addition, these areas are less likely to have opportunities for financial growth. Even homeownership cannot bring equity to these communities because their homes are valued lower. Even if minority communities try to move to areas with better housing and infrastructure, they often face backlash from the established white communities in the area. For example, Willow discussed the racist environment facing Asians in the Silicon Valley who are attempting to pursue the “American Dream” and achieve middle class status. Despite higher quality education, housing, and working conditions, they still face rampant racism. This is especially relevant now, with rising anti-Asian violence that has increased since the pandemic. These stories and more show that discriminatory housing practices only exacerbate racism and inequality and adds to the long list of social issues that need to be addressed in this country.

After listening to the speakers discuss a myriad of issues regarding housing and the difficulties implementing effective housing policies, I really think that we need to address these issues more effectively. Failed housing projects should be a lesson, and while I personally don’t really understand a lot about the complex details involving implementing policy, I think that more needs to be done to address both housing and the climate at both the local and national level.

Inequality and the Climate

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During this webinar, I learned a lot about the impact of climate change on society, especially the effect it has on the lower-class, island nations, more. There are so many ways that climate change affects different communities, and it is a complex issue that requires a lot of policy and action to help solve. While climate change is often presented as an overarching environmental issue that will increase temperatures, change weather patterns, and cause rising sea levels, there is and will be a major effect on people. Oftentimes the most hard hit will be those who have not contributed to emissions. 

Minorities are more likely to live in areas that are more affected by climate change. They are more affected by increased levels of pollution and rising temperatures, due to lack of quality living environments and the inherent lack of protection from poor infrastructure. With an increase in extreme weather patterns, lower air quality, loss of natural lands, these people will be more hard hit compared to people living in well designed areas with good infrastructure. Another reason why these populations are more vulnerable to these changes are because of their socioeconomic status. For example, poorer people are more likely to be in difficult living conditions and don’t have the financial resources needed to recover from natural disasters or health problems caused by severe weather or pollution. If crops fail, they are more likely to starve than the wealthy. The inequalities due to living conditions, financial status, and access to food and clean water contributes to how different groups of people are affected by climate change. It is also important to note that inequality comes in many different forms not only socioeconomic status or racial differences but also urban versus rural populations or access to larger areas of land. 

These issues facing various populations indicate that it is important to implement and follow through with policies that will mitigate climate change, from reducing emissions to expanding the development and use of renewable energy. These changes can help not only our environment but also our society. With rampant inequalities, it is important to consider the various ways in which minorities, island nations, and third world countries are affected by climate change, and how we can address these issues.

Sounding Out Ithaca

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During this webinar, I learned a lot about how Ithaca Underground provides a platform and resources for a diverse range of local Ithaca artists. I think it is really great that there is such extensive support for our local artists and also aspiring young artists. In addition, I enjoyed learning about the way technology can enhance not only the auditory but also the visual experience of live performances. In addition, technology allows us to explore uncommon musical mediums, such as whale song. 

From listening to Enongo talk about her experiences, I learned that artists are also laborers, and need to be treated as such. I was surprised to hear how popular streaming sources, such as Spotify, tend to cover up exploitation of the artists they seem to support. Although these apps provide a digital platform for artists to attract listeners and show their work, it also hides the unfair compensation of these artists who work hard to produce music and present them to the public. It is especially relevant now during the pandemic, with digital streaming becoming the main source of income when live shows and tours are canceled. Touring helps listeners connect to musicians personally and help musicians bring in income through merchandise, which has been greatly affected by the pandemic. 

Another aspect of the webinar I really enjoyed was the integration of technology into creation of visual and auditory experiences that not only enhance live performances but also help with conservation of whale populations. Seeing the laser set up that can interact with synthesizers and create music was really cool, and really shows how having makerspaces allows for creation for not only hobbyists but also musicians. I was also intrigued by how music could bring attention to the declining whale populations, and how it helped raise awareness and educate people about the importance of conservation.

Overall, I really enjoyed this webinar, and it featured an amazing panel of artists that were able to talk about Ithaca’s local music scene and its far reaching effects. I learned a lot about Ithaca Underground and what it is able to do for our local community as well as globally.