Speak Against Racism!

Arts Explorer #10: Community Arts Project

Racism is a major issue which I believe is still present in our society today. This topic is related to diversity and social justice as it affects every person in this world. As a group, me and my team decided to present a “big idea” which consists of creating six different “Speak Against Racism” stickers that contain an inspirational quote by various, ethnically diverse, famous pro-activists. A blackberry bar code and website link is provided on the sticker to allow people to share their experiences, thoughts, questions and/or comments to racial acts they have been a part of. Our hopes of creating an online, interactive community for others to help, give advice or even just to let the world know what they are enduring, will raise awareness to the discrimination that still exists today. We have fortunately been sponsored by a printing company who assisted us in creating these stickers at no cost. We have also been supported by Ryerson’s Students Against Racism and hope to have continuous support by other universities as well as well established groups such as Broken Chains. We hope to raise awareness to our growing community about racism and the affects it has on people.

After presenting our idea to the class, we received great feedback from our friends and the professor. We did not get asked any question due to the time limit we had and the other groups that needed to present. We were told that the stickers we have created were very interesting and a great way to raise awareness around the Ryerson University campus. I believe our presentation went very well, as we put forth a lot of time and effort to make our project eye catching, appealing and realistic. We had discussed and covered all areas necessary in making our cause of interest to all. What I could have done differently when presenting our Community Arts Project, would have been to memorize and have a discussion rather than just speaking to our class about our cause. Overall, I believe our presentation went very well and had kept everyone interested in what we had to say.          

Inspiring Graffiti

Arts Explorer #9: Guerilla Art

My most artistic ability is seen in written graffiti and sketched pictures. I enjoy writing particular words and/or quotes that have meaning to me and sharing them with others. The guerilla art which I have decided to leave for the public to see is none other than written graffiti of a quote that someone very important in my life had once said to me, “Happiness is like a butterfly”. Along with this quote, I have also drawn a small sketch of a butterfly. Drawing graffiti does not take as long as it would to sketch a picture, as it has many more details.

After completing my guerilla art on paper, I attached it to a cork board at a school and gave some time for others to notice it. As I waited around the corner, I saw a few students pass by and give a quick look, whereas others stopped and starred at it. Some even touched it and one student in particular said, “wow”. Hearing and seeing these reactions made me feel proud and good about my artwork. I took my guerilla artwork home and left it on my kitchen table, to soon hear my family’s thoughts about it. My family seemed to be impressed with my abilities and told me I had done a great job. This process had made me realize that sharing my artwork with others can make me feel proud, as well as bring amusement to others.          

I believe my guerilla art contains a great deal of originality, as I have a particular unique style of graffiti inspired writing. Originality is technically defined as “a term characterizing thinking that is unique and unusual” (Schirrmacher & Fox, 2009, p. 342). I believe graffiti consists of an artist’s expression of them self, their beliefs, or something which is of great importance to them. With this being said, graffiti artists incorporate meaningful experiences or thoughts in their art work, which illustrate their uniqueness. Future implications to incorporate and encourage children to take part in art activities that allow them to express themselves can include letting children choose their own art activities during free-time, providing various materials to enrich their environment and taking time to address their creations.    

Schirrmacher, R & Fox J.E. (2009). Art & Creative Development for Young Children. Delmar: Cengage Learning. 

Little Walnut Man

Arts Explorer #8: Pretend Play and Magical Thinking

There are a variety of inanimate objects around my house which I could have used to personify and bring to life, but one particular object that I saw in my kitchen, came to life instantly. I have chosen to bring a walnut to life! The idea first came to me when I saw my sister breaking the walnut shell and then attempting to shoot the broken pieces at me with a rubber band. Soon enough the rubber band broke and I had decided to tie it back together. Right then and there the idea came to me of creating a headband for my walnut man! By just putting the rubber band around the walnut, it already started to look like a tiny little person. The only thing left to do was add some eyes and particular facial features. I attached two googly eyes and have drawn a small nose and a mouth made from a pipe cleaner, along with a moustache to give him a funny look. He also has feet made from pipe cleaners which help him stand up and hair which was painted on using black paint. The walnut seemed to be the perfect shape of a head, which made creating a little man that much more fun and interesting.

Mass and/or volume is an important aspect of my “walnut man” as it is a three dimensional work of art “which has height, length, and width” (Schirrmacher & Fox, 2009, p. 142). This particular work of art is light weight but hard and also small, which are some characteristics of an object that has mass and/or volume (Schirrmacher & Fox, 2009).   

I have decided to call my inanimate object the “little walnut man” because he is small and has no legs or arms. The headband on my walnut man makes him look like a ninja and the moustache gives him an Italian look. When all these aspects of imagination come together, the walnut man represents an “Italian ninja” who is strong (hard shell) and powerful! Having the opportunity to bring an inanimate object to life and give particular personality traits, facial features etc., helped me connect with my creative side and imagination. Implications for the future include various art activities just like this one, where a child can explore, experiment and use their imagination to create artwork that reflects their interests. Allowing children the freedom to let their thoughts run wild when taking part in art activities, is the best way for them to engage at their full potential.



Schirrmacher, R & Fox J.E. (2009). Art & Creative Development for Young Children. Delmar: Cengage Learning.