Grade 10 Students Create Activist Printmaking Projects

June 24, 2021

Academics

GNS

IB Arts Studio 10 students wrapped up their school year by completing an activist printmaking project. Inspired by master artists and the vivid prints of Andy Warhol, students explored how objects are used in our visual culture to communicate activist messages.

They chose a social, political, or environmental issue that they felt passionate about and used an object and text from pop culture to create their piece.

Their drawings were turned into designs, carved into printing blocks, printed, and assembled into a collective art piece with pop culture embellishments.

Faye Dryden ’23 chose to represent pollution and the effects it can have on the environment.

She carved a picture of a bottle that was floating in the ocean and degrading into plastic pieces. In the middle of her piece, she included the saying, ‘Water and air on which all life depends have become global garbage cans!’

“It was meant to be about the environment, and how pollution is destroying the environment, and a lot of human actions are really detrimental to the Earth,” she explained. “I picked this issue because I’m interested in the environment and learning how to live more sustainably.”

In the process of putting it together, Faye said she had fun, as she enjoyed carving out the block and brainstorming ideas. She hopes her piece will inspire others to reflect on the issue at hand.

“I want people to just reflect on what they can do to be more sustainable for the environment, and try to do what they can to use less plastic to protect our oceans,” she said.

Joelle Marshman’s ’23 piece is a tribute to the ‘Educate your son’ movement.

“The movement has been around for a long time, and has recently been gaining more attention,” explained Joelle. “This movement is very important to all women as almost everyone has been subjected to some form of sexual abuse, assault or misconduct. My art piece symbolizes the movement’s slogan, which is ‘protect your daughters, educate your sons.’”

In her piece, Joelle shows a stack of books along with a girl on the cover of the top one, along with a boy attempting to help her up.

“Perhaps people will start to become aware of when they have been subjected to blatant sexism or if they have been the ones to treat women wrong or fall victim to the social norms of the suppression of women,” she added.

Way to go to the Grade 10s for making such impactful art activist pieces!