The Message within the Brush Strokes

When I think of art a lot of images come to mind. I think of music, painting, sculpting, dancing, poetry, writing, etc. Art is a very broad topic for me. I have had a strong passion for art ever since I was little. I consider myself to be well rounded in art. My passion for singing began at family parties when I was first introduced to the magic mic. My love for dancing all began when I would dance in front of the mirror in my room when I was in middle school. Writing came to me when I found my self to be sad or upset and I let the pen and paper do all the talking. I did all these things because it was what I wanted to do. Although it may have seemed silly, it was who I was as a person. I found this as a form of self expression of who I am. However; as I got older and entered college, art was being used to express more than who the artist was, but the message behind their work. When I first came to San Francisco State I never thought much of the murals on the outside of the Cesar Chavez student center. But after taking Asian American and Ethnic Studies classes I found out their true meaning, the underlying message. The ED on Art as Activism opened my eyes to things I never payed much attention to. I learned a lot of things when we walked around campus looking at the murals. I saw the detail within the murals, why there were certain images on the murals, and the overall struggle to have these murals put up. I know now when I walk by these works of art to no longer ignore them, but acknowledge the strength within the brush strokes.
Although the ED was very informative, there was a lot of information for me to take in. At some points I was a little confused with the vocabulary and found myself lost. I think a delta for this ED would be to thoroughly go into the definitions making it more tangible for others to understand. However; with the amount of information that was taught to us I was able to learn something new. I never knew the deeper context in how art was used. I honestly wish I was talented enough to paint a picture, but for now I use my voice, dancing skills, and writing to create my image for change.

The one and only,
Kristina Nagales