Page 139 - Carrollton 2019

Art for Change

Written by Elizabeth Alwine '22
From women's rights to Trump’s wall, PTSD to teen suicide, Carrollton's Senior Art
Exhibition helps raise awareness about social and environmental issues in our world.

School art exhibitions often feature self-portraits, landscapes, and realistic sculptures, but
not much that informs the community about worldwide issues. Carrollton's exhibition is a
living example of Goal III, "Schools of the Sacred Heart commit themselves to educate
to a social awareness which impels to action."

Walking around the exhibition, several of the works particularly stood out. For example,
Sofia Tonareley' 19 used ceramic plates as a commentary on PTSD (Post Traumatic
Stress Disorder). She states, "From 1999 to 2010, 22 veterans were dying by suicide
©very day, one every 65 minutes from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Her
piece serves as a metaphor for PTSD using three different plates. The first plate, which is
intact symbolizes a person before PTSD; the second plate, broken, symbolizes a person
going through a traumatic experience; and the third plate, with broken pieces glued
together, symbolizes that a person can go through something traumatic and recover; but
psychological scars remain.

The Wall, created by Arianne Casanova ‘ 19, informs the community about the
controversy over immigration. Arianne states, "The Wall is a response to the immigration
conversation in the United States, pertaining to my home country, Mexico. The Wall is
covered in graffiti, in English and Spanish, saying things like "Tengo Miedo and criminals. Next to the wall, Arianne created a replica of First Lady Melania
Trump's designer jacket with the words, 'I REALLY DON'T CARE DO U?"- which she wore when traveling to the border. This jacket has been the subject
of controversy as to whether it was intended to represent Melania s views on immigration or whether it was just a poor fashion choice.
"Social art is creating artwork that speaks to social issues with the idea that you are going to make a change in the world, even if it's a little one,' said Patricia
Wiesen, IB art teacher and director of the Senior Art Exhibition.