How an Artist Teaches a Powerful Message about Racism
I learned about racism from an artist. Carl Gombert’s many talents amaze me, including how he teaches about racism in a unique way.
Art as Activism: Teaching About Racism
A few years ago Carl facilitated a racism session of Talking to Kids and Teens about Race that featured his art installation The Real Me.
We browsed the paintings, all self-portraits but with different skin, hair, and eye colors, as well as accessories. Then we talked about what we saw and our reactions. Although many of us described facial differences, Carl revealed the truth. Each painting’s faces were the same. He described the measurements he made so the only differences you see are the ‘trappings’, and then led us into a discussion about how context influences racism.
Interview With Carl Gombert
I interviewed Carl for my book What’s on Your Sign? How to focus your passion and change the world. Here is an excerpt:
I have been aware of and deeply interested in the power of images for a very long time, but I was never an overtly political artist. In fact, I have very mixed reactions — I admire much political/activist art but I also find much of it to be heavy-handed and/or overbearing. Moreover, I never really chose a topic or cause for activism. Rather, I made a series of works that interested me, and merely let them speak to a variety of issues.
Why He Created “The Real Me” To Teach About Racism
A series of self-portraits depicting myself as different races, ethnicities, religions, social classes and occupations (collectively titled The Real Me) began as an alternative to written material. I was teaching a first-semester college seminar with the goal of helping students come to terms with the reality that their identity was shaped and influenced by a variety of factors, and likely differed considerably from that of their classmates. Rather than yet another article to read, I wanted primary visual sources that would allow them to talk about how they perceived and reacted to different visual cues such as skin color, hairstyle, costume, and religious symbols.
Somewhat surprisingly, the work resonated with audiences of all ages and seemed to be a very effective tool for initiating important conversations. Thus, I became an activist — I guess — for advancing the causes of racial justice and equality, but only in so far as I helped people start examining their own thoughts and preconceptions.
The Work Comes First
For me, the work always comes first. As it gets made, I start to discover what it might mean, how it might connect to larger causes or conversations, and so on. So, I am not sure I have any advice for new activists other than to pay attention, and to remember that what your work means isn’t entirely up to you. An artist’s intentions are important and are part of the whole package, but they are not the sole determinant of what it means or how it is perceived.
***
This article appeared originally at Life At The Intersection.
