Taking a Stand Through Art...From Charleston to Berlin

Tina's Art

Jun 21

Written By

Dear Laura,In the wake of the recent tragedy here in Charleston, I wanted to turn to how artists have fought back and spoken up against oppression throughout the ages. Art is one way we can speak and act against the evil people and events that surround us. Charleston is a strong, kind, and loving city. I believe we all can make small movements toward eliminating institutionalized racism. Step one is to sign this petition to take down the confederate flag that hangs on our state capitol grounds. You don't have to live here to sign it so PLEASE pass it along. As I am writing this, all churches downtown Charleston will be ringing their bells simultaneously at 10:00am to support the Mother Emanuel AME Church and proclaim our community's unity.

I don't know who made this graphic below, but I love it.

Recently I visited Berlin, Germany and witnessed similar pain still resonating from WWII and the Nazi regime. It is such an emotional city. So many common citizens helped and saved numerous people during these rough times. There are a lot of authors that can speak much more profoundly than me on this topic (Primo Levi, Elie Wiesel, Lois Lowry). Point being, it is these small acts that build momentum for change that inspires me in all that I do. While the museums and galleries were excellent, it was the street art and their outward defiance of ineffective government and evil people that caught my interest. It's about time we get equally pissed off and join together. The neighborhood of Kreuzberg was my favorite place to visit. Pretty much all of the first level of every building had some form of street art, tags, and stickers not to mention it was the best people watching in the city. I really miss city life.

What I would like to do is simply show you rather than say any more. Again, small acts together = great change. This is why creativity is making our world a better place (one of our essential questions Laura!).