Project Showcase

This project is a representation of how I feel about the social justice topic poverty. My art teacher Mrs. Mary Catherine Ruby and government instructor Mrs. Folz encouraged us to research an issue in the world and I decided to talk about poverty.

This project is a collaboration of learning with my Government instructor, Mrs. Valerie Folz and my Visual Art and Design instructor, Mrs. Mary Catherine Ruby. With my Government instructor we learned about the articles of human rights. Mrs. Folz asked us to pick a topic of our choice and move forward to do research. Through my research I furthered my knowledge on poverty and how many people are affected by this issue. In places such as Haiti issues including housing, nutrition, education, healthcare, infant mortality rates, and environmental factors play a significant part of their everyday lives. Seeing foundations such as Love a Child Inc fight and work with these people, they are thriving and getting the opportunities that they deserve.
Poverty was a huge issue before the pandemic. Covid caused many people to loose things essential to life including some who couldn’t stay in their homes due to financial issues. Some people aren’t given the recourses to have everyday needs given to them. Families, children and many individuals are faced with the everyday struggle of having to find out how are they going to find a meal to eat or how are they going

My upbringing has impacted my life significantly. My mom is a creative person herself creating many crafts through her business Ms. Nette’s Fine gifts and shared blessings. Although my mom is a crafter she enjoys music and instruments just like my dad who played the bass. Passing down their talents and creativeness to me I found interest in music, instruments and art. In our home it was natural to incorporate the arts in our home. I’m thankful for being raised in a home where my creativeness is supported and loved.

I originally decided on attending Butler Tech to start my journey in the art field. I always admired art and wanted to learn more about it. My mom and I looked into Butler Tech and there the Visual Art and Design program popped up. Here I took the next step to become an artist at Butler Tech School of the Arts.

I came to SOA to start a learning journey for the arts. I have loved creating new things since I was a small child. I became a Visual Art and Design major because I had the creativeness I just needed to know how to use it. I knew at Butler Tech I would be able to create art that would mean something to me. In my senior year, I want to leave behind the legacy of being myself. I want people to see that growth is real and your talent only will get better from here. I want to be recognized with the traits of integrity and respectfulness. I would like to inspire others to be themselves whether it’s your style or your interests. Don’t give up and learn to love your art no matter the outcome because the meaning and thought process shines most.Growing up I have had the heart of feeling for others. In a world where I see many people struggling to make ends meet my heart reaches out for them. My mom and I have always been drawn to helping. Rather it’s in the church, working with local food banks or donating to foundations we want to help make a change in the world around us.

While working on this project learning how to pay attention to detail was a challenge for me. Prior to this piece I had minimum experience working with ink. To do the skill of stippling I had to pay close attention to detail in the hand reference to build the lighter and darker values that were needed. Within the left three I had to study a tree that had the proper foliage to understand where the foliage was necessary to create the texture of the tree. Moving on to the right portion of the tree I had to study and think about how a weeping willow flows. I never drew a weeping willow so understanding the texture and drooping effect that the weeping willow has was quite challenging. Working on this piece was a process taking weeks-months to finish.

Through the research and process of this Social Justice Project I feel emotional empathy on the topic of poverty. Although I had some knowledge on this topic before hand, learning and growing more knowledge on this topic touched my heart. After learning more about poverty and why it is so common in the world it really brought a realization upon me. Seeing foods sitting in grocery stores going bad or seeing people price gouge others in the act of greed is unsetting for me because in a big world where many people are struggling just to find a meal some people are not trying to help but on top of that add on to the problems. So after doing this project I do not only feel bad, I also feel in my heart to help others more and be apart of a change to help people get the recourses they need to live a comfortable life.