Community and Culture

The idea of creating community and culture in the world of visual arts is important among individuals. Many communities create murals that represent culture and connection within that community. It's a way to show history, communication, and representation for the community. Every culture is different and creating works of art provides a sense of bond and distinguishes diversity within the culture. The idea of community can be anything for example people that cosplay, feminist,  gender identities groups, etc. 

As future educators, we are able to develop a community within students to show their interest and understanding of cultures around them. Students will be able to critique visual cultures and artwork within their community. It can bring better understanding within students on why an artist has used certain images, processes, qualities, and techniques in the work of art. It's important for students to understand the similarities and differences between community, in which the artist belongs to because critiquing and refection can provide student's own interpretations of their own work and visual cultures around them. 

During my senior year of high school, I was able to join an amazing community in my hometown. I volunteered as an artist to help paint murals around town. This was a great experience as I met various different artists from the world and learn different techniques utilized in mural creations. The group of organization was known as Walldogs. They visit small towns in the U.S. for a week during the Summer to paint murals for the community. It’s organized with the town and the organization to develop works of art that represent the town. 

I helped paint the Williams Hardware Co. mural. This mural is to represent the day the building was burned down in 1958, known as the “Great Streator Fire”. The fire distorted the building, killed 6 lives, and injured many individuals that day (Times, 2012).

Times, T. (2012, September 09). Streator Fire Department timeline. Retrieved September 04, 2020, from https://www.mywebtimes.com/articles/tn/2012/09/09/b4d562b773d4556ea2f2043e27037533/index.xml