Independent
NORTHEASTERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY
Tuesday, November 3, 2015
www.neiuindependent.org
Vol. 35 Issue 6
Art Responds to Violence; Community Responds to Art
Photos by William Castro
“Collateral Kids: Disposable fashion and future” delves into the issue of violence that children are exposed to.
The class was quick to discuss the aesthetics of the collage. Each piece of paper glued onto the canvas has a purpose. Jenny Hereth’s piece depicts how young black men graduate to become inmates.
William Castro NEIU hosted the 6th annual Arts in Response to Violence Conference where artists came together to teach, create and response was loud and clear. Jenny Hereth uses art as a means of healing current day violence; Judy Sutherland, an art therapist, uses art as a method of enhancing a feeling of belonging; and author Britteney “Black Rose” Kapri uses the art of poetry and voice within. All of these women held roles in the 6th annual Arts in Response to Violence Conference hosted by NEIU.
Black Lives Matter: Whites Lies Madder: Can the Arts Help Us?
Jenny Hereth who is an art professor from the College of DuPage, started her presentation with an introduction of how she got involved in creating art providing a commentary to current day violence. It started when one of her students came to class to discuss students dead. “What are we going to do,” Hereth said, recounting the statements of her students. “You told us we had to do things about these things in the world.” Hereth and her 14 students reenacted what took place in a laid down in the lobby of their college campus and invited anyone interested to join them. Eventually, they had 300 people involved in the reenactment.
Students Bring Tough Topics to the Table at the Economic Inequality Initiative Event Page 3
Hereth continued the presentation with an art series she calls “Collateral Kids: Disposable with police violence among young black males and females from the Middle East being abducted and
Encouraging Creativity and Resilience through Group Art Next was a workshop with art therapist Judy Sutherland. Sutherland explained that the exercise the class would take part in was founded by Tee Dreikurs, who during the 1920s taught art to delinquent children. Dreikurs, who ran out of drawing paper one day, that they did not care for and tear them up with energy, even anger,
Senator Mark Rubio Absent Page 6
so they could use the torn pieces urged the class to rip apart the purpose of this was to then glue the shredded pieces onto a larger piece collaboration between everyone in the room to create three collages. there was a class discussion and critique.
Finding Your Voice: Spoken Word and Poetry
Lastly there was a poetry workshop with Britteney “Black Rose” Kapri. She started the workshop by playing the song “Strange Fruit” by Billie Holiday over the speakers. She asked the class, “So what is ‘Strange Fruit’ about?”
The Balance Between the NBA and WNBA Page 12
She then read a poem by Gary Jackson titled “Magneto Eyes Strange Fruit”. “Strange Fruit,” by Billie Holiday, is about the lynching of them as “strange fruit...Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze.” “Magneto Eyes Strange Fruit” is about a comic book character who feels the urge to use his superpowers coming across two lynched brown bodies. Kapri had the class write a poem based on themselves. She asked them to imagine they were superheroes; what would their name be? What would they be hero or villain? the things that you don’t stand up for in your own life,” Kapri asked.
Talent Show Brings Stars to NEIU Stage Page 13