Arts Explorer #10: Community Arts Project

Art word of the week: mass and volume
     Mass and volume is the measure in which we critique three- dimensional art, which has height, length, and width. As discussed by Schirrmacher & Fox (2009), mass or volume can be portrayed as:

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• Open or closed
• Heavy, bulky, massive; or light, delicate
• Hard or soft
• Large or little, big or small
• Stationary or moving

     I will come back to discuss mass and volume as it pertains to our Community Arts Project, but for now, let's get to know our cause a little more. When thinking about an issue that relates to diversity and social justice, we began researching to find a cause we were truly interested in. In doing so, we came across the Bystander Effect which is an issue in which people witness a crime being committed, however fail to do anything about it. Additionally, it has been proven that the number of bystanders around the event correlates with the probability that any one person will not do anything. Essentially, there is a higher chance of you calling for help if you were the only witness to a crime, whereas the chance of you calling for help when there are 4 bystanders is reduced by half. Quite the alarming statistics, especially seeing as most of us would say that we would do something. 

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     Using the arts was a key component of both our small and big ideas. Within the little ideas we came up with, a creative spin was put on the awareness of our cause within classrooms in the form of role plays. Students would be able to act out real life situations in which bystanders are taught to call for help. We also used the arts within our online petition and Facebook page to create awareness. Within our big idea, we proposed using a simulation at Yonge and Dundas Square. A simulation itself is an art form, therefore the underpinnings of this creative form are crucial in spreading the message. Another way we will be incorporating the form of art into our idea is by handing out take- away cards:

These takeaway cards integrate the form of mass and volume, a concept that was previously discussed. These stationary cards are light and delicate, penetrable and angular. We purposely created these cards to be small enough to have in a pocket or wallet so that our cause can be revisited at any time. 

    In discussing our big idea, we hope to involve some current and previous Ryerson students (Radio and Television and Theater) to help us execute and deliver the big message of our cause. We also hope to involve larger corporations such as BMO and IBM in order to gain financing for future expansion and awareness. Most importantly however we hope to involve the society as a whole to spread awareness. In doing so, we will rely on word- of mouth, door- to- door advertising, and our Facebook and petition pages.

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     In persuading the community to support our project, we hope to resonate with a lot of people by explaining that this cause is not only one that is close to home, and has the ability to not only affect them, but affect the people around them. Hitting a personal note with the community will hopefully not only help to gain awareness, but also create a positive change in statistics.

     I believe our presentation in class went well as I believe we captivated the attention of the audience early within the use of a deep opening question and video. A lot of the reactions we got from the audience regarding our cause were shock and disbelief so we are confident we achieved what we set out to do- provide awareness. I think one thing we could have done differently, is anticipating the issue of people at Dundas Square calling the police, fearing the simulation was real. Based on statistics, this would have not happened, however we always need to be prepared to face the unexpected. Other than that I believe our smaller ideas and our big idea will contribute to the success of raising awareness of the Bystander Effect.

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     In implementing an activity such as the one we engaged in, I think it is safe to say the scope of this project is too demanding for toddler or preschool children. However school- age children should be encouraged to engage in this kind of activity to promote awareness. Children should be let to research a cause that is meaningful to them, and create posters, ads etc. to demonstrate their view on the issue. Children can also be welcomed to perform skits of bullying in their classrooms and communities to raise awareness. I think the fundamental point learned within this assignment that any level of awareness is a positive one and that the first step in seeing a big change is taking any action, as small as it may be.

Schirrmacher, R. , & Englebright Fox, J. . (2009). Art & creative development for young children. Belmont, California : Delmar Cengage Learning.