For this blog post, I chose to speak about the TED Talk “How Can We Address Centuries of Racism in Art?” featuring Titus Kaphar. With growing protests in the, such as the White Supremacists coming together in Charlottesville, NC and various other pop ups across the nation, things are starting to get scary. Confederates are saying that their flag and heritage are more than racism and have actual meaning to them… however, what they don’t seem to understand is how that impacts a large portion of the general population. Not just monuments, but paintings and illustrations have heavy racial implications that weigh heavily on those that aren’t white. What Kaphar is trying to get across is that we don’t have to completely erase history, but use it as a way for knowledge of the future and current generations. By adding the context of putting a spotlight on this black child that was so mindlessly thrown into the background, he is showing the power that art truly is. This gives people a feeling. A feeling that people want change. We can’t treat each other as if some are lesser than… although the past two years have shown otherwise.
Photo by Titus Kaphar
Lovely. I’m so glad that you included a picture. Something to think about: what, measurably speaking, does Kaphar seem capable of changing? Do you think his art is capable of truly impacting our physical world? You write beautifully about feelings. Keep going. What is the relationship between feeling and the decisions we make in the physical world?