Washing Away the Dust of Everyday Life
Traveling the world and settling into a new home can require a great deal of mental acuity. An opportunity to make art and release and relieve from the stress of the ordeal of relocating a life and home can become a life altering experience for some. Through art many immigrants are creating a window for the world to make connections with. Throughout the United States several art institutions are making an effort to shed some much needed light on the plight of immigrants. Through their art they can help to break down the walls of misconception that many seem to be stuck behind.
“Creating art relieves stress, encourages creative thinking, increases brain plasticity, and imparts other mental health benefits.”
There are more migrants in our communities than we may recognize, this show reminds us. Their invisibility — due to legal status or the desire to fit in, due to our fear or their trauma — makes it easy to overlook and ostracize them. Yet they are intrinsic to our society, and indeed to world history. We might get to know them, listen to their stories. [2] (McQuaid, 2018) Mohamed Hafez – Desperate Cargo, 2018
By their very engagement, not only do the migrants gain a sense of relief but members of the community are given an opportunity to gain some insight into the journey that has brought them into proximity.
The Institute of Contemporary Art at Maine College of Art, reminds us how common migration is. [Their latest exhibition] “Making Migration Visible: Traces, Tracks & Pathways,” is the cornerstone of a Maine-wide initiative spearheaded by ICA at MECA. More than 70 institutions are offering programming about migration this fall. [3] McQuaid, 2018
Through the art they create and share with the world, artists have the opportunity to shed light on subjects that are near and dear to their own hearts. Artist Calvin Lee will donate 90 percent of the money he makes during December’s First Friday Art Walk to the Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network [in Denver, Co.], which provides free legal services to immigrants in the United States. The show is the latest iteration of Lee’s personal mission to end the suffering he encounters [4]Ufheil, 2018.
His exhibit will include many works that are seen as controversial. “Friday’s art show will drive home that point. On display will be “Drowned Syrian Refugee Boy 2,” (Seen Above) Lee’s version of the infamous photo of three-year-old Alan Kurdi, whose lifeless body was found on a Turkish beach in 2015.” [5](Ufheil, 2018)
While some host art exhibits, others attempt to further the conversation through discussion with contemporary artists. “[The] San Francisco Chronicle hosted its fourth and final Chronicle Chats event of 2018 — “Art without Borders: Immigrants and San Francisco Cultural Life” — at the Herbst Theater of the San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center to tackle the evening’s designated topic: the ways in which immigrants have shaped the cultural life of the Bay Area. [The] panel aimed to shed light on the nuanced experiences and challenges faced during the process of creation from the perspective of immigrants in the Bay Area.”[6] (Lee, 2018) By telling their own unique stories, immigrants are able to share their vantage points and express the influence their experience has had on the shape of their new homelands.
The experience of migration from one country to another like the language of art is universal. It crosses not only borders but language and age as well. The act of sharing these experiences through the stimulation of visual and auditory senses allows others to gain awareness what these individuals have been through.
[1] Alban, Dean (January 10th, 2019) The Mental Health Benefits of Art Are for Everyone https://bebrainfit.com/benefits-art/
[2] McQuaid, Cate (November 14th, 2018) In Maine, looking at art and immigration https://bit.ly/2Cl7YwJ
[3] McQuaid, Cate (November 14th, 2018) In Maine, looking at art and immigration https://bit.ly/2Cl7YwJ
[4] Ufheil, Angela (December 5th, 2018) The European Refugee Crisis Inspired This Denver Artist’s Latest Collection https://bit.ly/2D8UaHm
[5] Ufheil, Angela (December 5th, 2018) The European Refugee Crisis Inspired This Denver Artist’s Latest Collection https://bit.ly/2D8UaHm
[6] Lee, Lloyd (December 7th, 2018) Bay Area artists explore nuanced immigrant experiences in Chronicle Chats https://bit.ly/2QLCG7w
