‘Monuments of Solidarity’ Exhibition Highlights Activist Approach to Art
Ask students: Do you think art has the power to make real change in society? Why or why not?
An artist, activist, community builder and teacher. LaToya Ruby Frazier's art-making ideas come together in her first retrospective exhibition. Jeffrey Brown has a look for our series, Art in Action, exploring the intersection of art and democracy and for our ongoing arts and culture coverage, CANVAS.
View the transcript of the story.
News alternative: Check out recent segments from the NewsHour, and choose the story you’re most interested in watching. You can make a Google doc copy of discussion questions that work for any of the stories here.
Warm-Up Questions
- Who is LaToya Ruby Frazier and what is her background?
- How are Frazier's monuments "of a kind we're not used to seeing," according to journalist Jeffrey Brown?
- What media (materials used to make the art) does Frazier work with?
- Where did Frazier grow up, and how has she portrayed that place in her work?
- Why does Frazier focus on collaboration as an element of her artistic process?
Focus Questions
- Do you think art has the power to make real change in society? Why or why not?
- What advantages do you think it offers an artist to collaborate with the subjects of their art?
Media literacy: Why do you think the producers of this piece chose to focus on this artist?
Alternative: See, Think, Wonder: What did you notice? What did the story make you think? What would you want to learn more about?
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What students can do: As a class, brainstorm people or places in your community that you think might make a good subject for a "monument of solidarity." How could you work collaboratively with your subjects to make art that reflects your community?
Republished with permission from PBS NewsHour Classroom.
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