Introduction
The black Lives Matter movement gathered a lot of public and media attention, so I decided to join in and create an art piece that would reflect my attitude towards the protests happening all over the United States and internationally.
The Nature of Protests
Eight minutes and forty-six seconds became a symbol of public disappointment and rage regarding the inhumane treatment of George Floyd. The death of Mr. Floyd gained enough media attention to start a series of protests all over America.
The Origins of the Project
Here is a picture from one of my favorite New York Times’ articles discussing the nature of protests in American cities. The photo represents the unity of people of all races, socioeconomic backgrounds, and sexualities.
I have decided that I want to include photographs and combine them with different quotes. Therefore, I started searching for source materials online, looking through social media and online publications.
The Process of Creating the Collage
The process of creating the collage took me five hours. At first, I brainstormed the ideas for the piece and decided to go with the first one I had in mind. The second step was research, which included a variety of articles from different publications to become more knowledgeable on the subject of Black Lives Matter. The first two steps took me an hour and a half.
The Effectiveness of My Project
As for the effectiveness of my project, I believe that it did exactly what I wanted it to. First of all, I showed the collage to my family and asked for their output. It surprised me how responsive my family was to the message I was trying to incorporate in the collage. I have had a discussion with a couple of my relatives about the protests. Therefore, the collage served as a conversation starter, which I wanted it to do.
Public Reaction
Although my family and friends have reacted in a positive way, it does not mean that my collage cannot produce negative responses from people. The United States is affected by a political divide between liberals and conservatives, which is why Black Lives Matter is a sensitive topic for the majority of Americans. Some people believe that George Floyd is responsible for his own death since he used a counterfeit bill and ‘refused’ to cooperate with the police (Hill et al., 2020).
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is important to acknowledge the fact that creating art is an exceptionally effective way to start open discussions and arguments regarding current social, political, and economic issues. Nowadays, it is easier than ever to find inspiration and sources online in order to make a creative project.
Works Cited
Anti-Defamation League. “Black Lives Matter: From Hashtag to Movement.” ADL, 2020, Web.
Hill, Evan, et al. “How George Floyd Was Killed in Police Custody.” The New York Times, 2020, Web.