Art and Social Justice: Tania Bruguera

(3:22 - 6:20)

Immigrant Movement International

This project was started by Tania Bruguera in Queens NY and is a social space where art is taught to Immigrants to empower them personally and politically. She says they learn to “Work from their fear”

Borders

As immigrants the people in this movement have crossed literal borders and have to deal other borders as they adjust to living in this country.

Think back to the beginning of this class when you wrote down what your borders were.

Discuss with your neighbors what you wrote and why you felt that was a significant border to you.

Empowering

Tania Bruguera talks about how learning about contemporary art empowers immigrants to overcome their fears and difficulties.

Think about how art could empower people to overcome the borders you discussed as you watch how art helped the women in this clip.

(0:30-3:22)

How did art empower these women?

How can art empower you to overcome your own borders?

How can you create a classroom where art can empower students?

Activity: Empowering Portraits

Use whatever materials you have to make an empowering portrait of someone next to you!

Artwork

For my art piece I wanted to create a repose to the borders that were our class listed. I felt like a lot of people listed physical limitations as well as fear which I have thought a lot recently about how emotions including fear are physical attributes of our bodies. I wanted to include a border in my piece so I made a border between a black and white "ideal" body and a more realistic but hazy and grey body.