This artwork aims to demonstrate the value of the education of refugee life in San Diego and how knowledge is a powerful tool that allows us to spread awareness.
Goal. This artwork aims to demonstrate the value of the education of refugee life in San Diego. Although I may not have high level artistic abilities, I wanted to create an image that demonstrated the value of spreading awareness about refugee life. It is also geared to empower students and demonstrate how privileged we are to be receiving this knowledge. Knowledge is a powerful tool that allows us to spread awareness about topics such as refugee experiences. For instance, this course has taken me places and altered my perception of refugee life. I will take everything to heart and I hope my art delivers a similar change.
Inspiration. My artwork was inspired by the places this refugee knowledge has taken me. Especially by the murals at Chicano Park that use art as a tool for social activism. As well as my desire to reflect the knowledge I have gained from these experiences.
Explanation. Starting from the bottom up, I have magnified hands in the foreground. They are connected to the children at the top of the page. Both elements are meant to represent the idea that children and families make up most of the refugee population. To destigmatize the false idea of criminalization surrounding refugees, this factor is meant to illustrate that most refugees are families and parents seeking a better future for their children. While this is one aspect that I wanted to make clearly important, the rest of my work illustrates the flow of refugee knowledge. Starting from left to right, I drew a path of footprints to reflect the experiences that have taught me the most about refugee life in San Diego and to reflect a migrant’s journey. The first stop on the path is the ideal environment one seeks to gain knowledge about refugee life, the classroom. I placed students at the center of this idea to reflect the power we have to learn from each other. This course has successfully fostered this opportunity by connecting us over shared experiences, personal anecdotes from our guests, and the opportunity to present in front of the class.
Furthermore, I have included a student protest with an intentional message on the main sign. In addition to demonstrating solidarity, this illustration is meant to represent my personal experience participating in the demonstration held on campus regarding Palestine’s ongoing needs. Many students are hesitant to join such demonstrations for a variety of reasons but I would bet the biggest is because they are unaware of the situation. I was able to recognize the need and contribute to the student body thanks to my peers in this course. Additionally, the opportunity to go to the Amal Event at Chicano Park was an unforgettable experience. I was able to bring a few friends with me who had no prior knowledge of the Palestine crisis or of a general refugee crisis. It was beautiful to be able to teach them about the significance of Amal. Finally, the footprints lead to the last illustration because the purpose of this all, including my art, is to spread awareness of the refugee experiences. As students, we have the privilege to gain this information and it's our responsibility to teach others in any way possible. We should leave this course with the intention of spreading knowledge of refugee experiences. Today, I hope that my art has reflected the knowledge I have received of the refugee experience. Thank you.
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