Carter High School students present Activism Through Art Show

Homelessness, global warming and poverty were some of the social issues Carter High School 11^th grade history students explored during the first Activism Through Art Show coordinated by U.S. History teacher Jessica Buckle. Projects were featured on campus on Friday, Feb. 7.

According to Buckle the art show provided the opportunity for students to link history to current events and to get them active and involved with history.

“Students are not apathetic, they’re uninvited,” is a quote that resounds with Buckle and has shaped the method in which she teaches. “My goal is to invite students to find their voices and share their voices,” Buckle imparted.

Student groups, who were learning about the Great Depression and the photographers of the time who depicted the era, were tasked with selecting a social issue they wanted to raise awareness on and create an art installation around it. Components of the project consisted of 3 – 5 art pieces using an art medium of their choice, videos that explain their piece and its relation to their selected theme, and a written statement that describes how the photographers from the Great Depression, using their photography as a means of activism, relates to artists today who use art as a means of activism.

“I’m very proud of them… there are lots of original pieces, a couple of kids created original scores of music. I have such talented artists I didn’t want to limit their medium,” Buckle said. “There are some really great sculptures, great paintings, great drawings, collages – lots of amazing things.”