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Expressions of Solidarity Against Racial Injustice: A Digital Collection

Art in Response to Injustice

The Art in Response to Injustice collection was curated by Ed Kerns and originally published by Lafayette News. Several of the artists who participated in Art in Response to Injustice have also contributed their works here, to Expressions of Solidarity Against Racial Injustice: A Digital Collection. They are gathered here.

Art in Response to Injustice: Art department alumni and student artists create pieces in support of Social Justice.

Introductory statement by Ed Kerns, Eugene H. Clapp Professor of Art and Humanities and head of the Art Department:

Historically, artists have responded to social injustice by producing imagery that captures both civil protest and frustration with societal inequalities. Art History is full of examples.

In this broad tradition of principled democracy in action, Lafayette art majors, both alumni and current students, have contributed images and video performance pieces to form a digital exhibit of a heartfelt need for change.

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My voice should not be focused upon during this time and this work's minimalist quality is a reflection of that intent. The existence of this watercolor painting is meant to affirm the horrendous injustices and utterly unconscionable social and economic inequities that have been perpetuated for centuries against the working class while disproportionately affecting people of color. Their unique vibrancy, represented by the individuals in the upper left, has been excruciatingly trampled upon; their value has and continues to be relentlessly extracted to turn the cogs of capital—condensed into the green points below—as the individuals themselves slowly fade into the void of history.
"An explanation of imagery : This piece uses the symbolic meaning within the flag to underscore what this time of protest, resistance to oppression, as well as resistance to change stirs inside of me: A black man, and a veteran. As a black man I have no choice but to wear my skin everyday, but as a military service member I was a volunteer. I chose to serve and wear my uniform every day of my enlistments. It was my choice to protect the country within which I thought I was living; one with a dark past that had found a path to light and become a leader in the rehabilitation of countries founded in injustice. I feel so much gratitude for all of the voices (minority and majority alike) for speaking up; for holding the nose of the government in the mess that we have made of the words equality and justice. I also feel more hopeless than ever. Hope seems foolish because it is only the disempowered majority (of all races) boldly speaking in favor of equality and justice, while the empowered minority clings to power and authority through legislation and inequitable enforcement of its laws. Many people know that the red bars our American flag is for valor and hardiness, and to some represents the blood shed to establish our nation. The white symbolizes purity and innocence, a land yet uncorrupted as the lands were from where immigrants fled in search of a better life here in the United States. The blue, however, is often a forgotten mystery, or worse yet mis-attributed to be the blue of the sky. The blue however, is perhaps the most important color of all; the blue field represents vigilance, perseverance, and justice. In the work, the words written inside the red bars require a boldness to acknowledge. They take courage to speak aloud. They require the valor, on which this country was founded, to evolve from being a message, to becoming policies, and ultimately change social idealism into a real national community. The white stripes no longer span the flag smooth, clean and uninterrupted. They are swirled with shadows and off white shapes. Our country has lost the purity and innocence of the idealism that launched a revolution. At best our innocence has become a willful ignorance led by arrogance, and is corrupted by the remaining echoes of Manifest Destiny. The blue is faded and drawn of color in such a way that it only encompasses most of the stars of white. The colored stars and few white stars (now representing the diversity of people in America) have had their Justice stipped away; they persevere without justice. Their color and culture is eroded; bleeding into a field of white, desperately trying to assimilate into a system that only evolves to shore-up support for status-quo."
“The Battle of Ball’s Bluff,” is a cyanotype depicting the part of the Potomac River where Union forces crossed to face Confederate soldiers in one of the many Civil War battles that was fought in Virginia. The work emphasizes the weighted history Virginia has – as it is the state where the most Civil War battles occurred and its current capital was once the capital of the Confederacy. The work directs conversation in how to address this dark and stained history and how the past parallels events happening today. Russell also uses the poem “The Dreamer” written by an anonymous poet, emphasizing that these difficult discussions could lead to significant reform and positive change.