Art for Social Change is a new class being offered this year by Lexington High School’s Art Department. Designed by Monique Harris Schramme, a LHS art teacher, its purpose is to give students the opportunity to express their opinions about social issues through their artwork. From my experience as a student in this class, Art for Social Change has been a wonderful opportunity for students to develop and express their own views on various social issues, such as the oppression of minorities and the marginalization of women.

An important part of the class is having circle conversations, which is when everyone sits in a circle and answers a specific prompt. These prompts deal with issues that affect society today and provide a glimpse into what it is like to be a member of different marginalized communities. As a female student of both Jewish and Muslim backgrounds, I have plenty to reflect on myself. However, having these discussions allowed me to understand issues such as racism and oppression from other perspectives, as well.

Art is about depicting a subject and telling a story. Who, then, gets to tell a story, and what impact does that have on the history we learn? In class, we watched a Ted Talk by the African-American painter Titus Kapher. As Kapher says, you can find out more about the lace worn by the subject in a painting than you can about African Americans in art history. What does this say about how we have been approaching art, history, and art history? This is what happens when we only hear one side – the Eurocentric one. Other people’s stories are ignored, and their voices are silenced. I believe that if we can amend the way we examine art history, we can give historically underrepresented voices a chance to be heard.

We spent much of quarter one elevating our own voices through artwork. The main assignment was to create a piece of artwork that addresses an important issue. I chose to address the stereotypes surrounding people with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). ADHD often involves distraction and difficulty getting tasks done. People with ADHD are falsely perceived to be slow and unproductive, and I used my art to dismantle these harmful stereotypes. My final project was a painting that depicts a multicolored elephant flying in the sky, painting a flower. The elephant represents the false stereotypes of unproductivity surrounding people with ADHD. The variety of hues that color the elephant symbolizes disorganized thoughts. At the same time, the elephant is flying in the sky painting a flower, which represents the originality and the creative potential of people with ADHD. Through my painting, I show that those with this condition can be creative and productive, contrary to what society says. 

Though it’s only been one quarter, I am incredibly grateful that the Art for Social Change class allows me to explore different social issues and address them through my artwork. I am excited to see what conversations, discussions, and possibilities that this class will bring in quarter two.