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I chose this contemporary art because I felt a deep connection with it; I saw pain, embarrassment, and loneliness. When I see art, I don't automatically see the description; I like to feel it calling me with its energy. I like to have that connection with its art. I want to imagine myself making art and putting my emotions into it. And this piece, let me tell you, I could see myself in it. To me, it means this woman is struggling to keep it together. Feeling so deep in her emotions, she feels like she is so deep underwater with no way out. She has this heavy burden on her shoulder that keeps her from getting up and moving forward, feeling hopeless and alone. She could see the light, but it was so far up she was drowning. She knows she can't keep living as she is, knowing there's no turning back.
Link:
https://www.underwatersculpture.com/

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Humanity vs The Machine (2013) | Mear One | Culver City, Los Angeles, CA, Los Angeles, US

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I chose this artwork because it reflects our reality and the future of humanity. As technology evolves, people become jobless more and more. As in the artwork above, humans are trying to stop it but it is getting worse and worse, starting to take over everything. Many jobs are on the edge of oblivion because of technology, AI, and machines. And it is already happening and it will become like "The Matrix" movie or "Detroit: Become Human" game.
Link: https://www.activistart.org/mear-one/

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I chose this art work because I love how the myth is being portrayed in a present day or in the future. It’s very symbolic and powerful. The background represents how polluted & dull the world has become, but the woman with the little box & the bird bring hopefulness.
Link: https://www.activistart.org/patricia-watwood/

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Name: Chris Jordan. Title: Car Keys. Project: “running the numbers”, shows the statistics of American consumption & how it affects the environment. 

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Link: https://www.artworksforchange.org/portfolio/chris-jordan/
I chose this artwork because it was creatively made with the right intentions in mind. It is made out of hundreds of thousands of car keys that when put together and viewed from far away appear as old cars stacked on top of each other. It is meant to equal the gallons of gas that are burned every minute by Americans using cars as transportation. To me, this artwork means that we have to learn to take better care of the environment and educate others to do so. And that it is very crucial to take accountability and take a moment to recognize the effects of our consumption because when we don’t this makes it easier to maintain an ignorant attitude towards what we do and our impact. I think upon seeing this work and many of his other works from this series the main purpose is to be a shock factor and I think that only in this way can it really evoke mindfulness from people.

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"Struggle With yourself" by Safa Arty Project: The consistency of fighting yourself for the truth and winning to overcome the obstacle from life and yourself.

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https://opensea.io/assets/matic/0x2953399124f0cbb46d2cbacd8a89cf0599974963/71889083543903770174564831086372432109806049696975092115977166245564164079617

I chose this artwork because it resembles the battle/war I have in my daily routine. I want to do and be better but most times I often lose and want to stop adulting. There are times where I win some of the victories but it does not compare to the many losses I have had. This picture gives me hope that one day I will overcome the daily challenges and one day stay motivational and happy in life. I will not give up.

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My Body Is Whole And It's Mine | Fugitiva | International Planned Parenthood Federation 

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I chose this artwork because it is such an important piece of work and mindset. I personally have felt the struggle with my body image and it is important to be able to give yourself thanks for your body. By giving yourself to take time and appreciate how your body is it reminds yourself to take care of yourself because it is your only body you have. This piece has a lot of important aspects that seem so little but are big things in life to remember.
Link: https://thegreats.co/artworks/my-body-is-whole-and-its-mine

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Hust Wilson South Africa Black Lives Matter

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https://thegreats.co/artworks/black-lives-matter-series-15

I chose this artwork because it represents and speaks for the BLM movement. Being an African American in this country can be difficult in different areas and the movement brings awareness to the issue like with racial injustice. Situations like this motivate me to make change in the world not with racial injustice but in other areas too. I think this artwork represents it well with the heart and Black Lives Matter inside of it.

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"I Have Special Reservations..." by Elizabeth Catlett

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I chose this piece of artwork, by Elizabeth Catlett, because it touches on the story of Rosa Parks and the social injustice issues that occurred during that time and unfortunately, today. Being a woman of African American ethnicity, I feel very strong about this event in history and this topic as well. It touches on issues of racism and gender inequality.

Link to artwork: https://www.activistart.org/elizabeth-catlett/

The artist of this piece is Elizabeth Catlett and it is entitled "I Have Special Reservations...". Elizabeth was an artist whose work "revolved around themes such as social injustice, the human condition, historical figures, women and the relationship between mother and child." She was alive from 1915-2012. She was a teacher most of her career which eventually led to her being apart of an unsuccessful campaign, fighting for equal pay as a teacher of color. She arranged to go see the Picasso exhibit at the Delgado Museum of Art, where people of color were not aloud. She was fearless just as Rosa Parks was and this speaks volumes for the message conveyed behind her art. I believe that these were her "Special Reservations".

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Perfect Garden, Pawel Kuczynski,New technologies are wonderful achievements of humanity. I’m only worried that we turned them into the new idols. But I’m ‘old-f

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I chose this art because it shows what the 21st century looks like knowing that everyone is always on there phone, it shows me that society is addicted to there phone and not looking around where there are going, you can only a few people who are looking up which means they are trying to know outside bubbles but those on top who are lawn mowing are the ones who got outside the bubbles and are on top of these people heads because they are on top, you can see how it shows that people who are successful  are on top and are working differently then those who are on there phone and I think the most important thing is to understand this is how the real world is sadly.
https://www.activistart.org/
ttps://www.pictorem.com/106761/perfect%20garden.html

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Title: Human Behavior #1 Artist Marchal Mithouard Location: Paris, France

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I select this art because I feel it is a very different artwork and very well balanced with elements of art and principles of art. In this piece I saw a person in the left who is pushing other person in the right side and my eyes rolled down and see some geometric shapes where the person is standing. Artist used warm and cool color. In this art piece artist used variety of lines to create this piece. Curved lines are giving a sense of movement.
I like how he is portraying his feeling through this art. He is using human's expressions and body movement to represent their struggle in societal.
In this artwork artist want to represent that how a person will push other person for the selfishness and violence.
Link:
https://www.activistart.org/shaka/

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Asymmetric Love by Addie Wagenknecht( Faceless exhibition) by the Museumsquartier Vienna.

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https://www.activistart.org/
For me this image means that people will always look at me closely.  In the sense that there are always people, be they acquaintances or relatives, who will look closely at every move you make.  And this will sometimes be for fun or simply because they want to compare themselves.  And take advantage of when you're wrong, for me that means the cameras and the cables represent those ties that keep them somehow related to you.

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The Dinner Party by Judy Chicago                 Feminist Art https://www.theartstory.org/movement/feminist-art/

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It is now regarded as the first powerful piece with many to come in feminist artwork. It symbolizes so much for women and their history as there are 39 play settings in a triangular table. Each place setting marks a place for a historical famous woman. Where the table sets there are another 999 names inscribed within the floor. This gives a total of 1038 women in history represented in this amazing piece of art for women.

I think that this is a very meaningful piece and needs to be shared widely to show the power of women. I chose this because it had immense meaning and it’s empowering to not only me, but it should be to every other women out there. This was made in the 1970s and in this era artists work to rediscover the women role models lost to other women. During this time, the artist had so much power because she was rewriting history. A history that mainly consisted of men and this was the opposite. It gave credit to all the women that deserved a seat at the dinner party as they were all amazing role models and should not have been overlooked by men role models.

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Rising Tide, by Jason deCaires Taylor, Commissioned by Totally Thames as part of their "Festival of the Thames" to show the growing concern over climate change 

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Link: https://www.nrdc.org/onearth/sculptures-under-sea-and-front-lines-climate-change
I chose Jason deCaires Taylor, I believe in what he stands for, Climate change is so very important to the planet we live on. We cannot stand by like these two suited figures with attitudes of denial or ambivalence toward our current climate crisis. There is hope among these figures, the two younger riders look forward effecting future change. At low tide the base of two of the figures are revealed to have the horses' head are made up of pieces of oilfield machinery. These four figures are intended to provide a disturbing Metaphor for rising sea levels, showing how little time we all have to act. With the changing tides it offers hope as it resets itself each day, offering opportunity for change. Our decisions affect the future of our planet.

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Perfect Garden by Pawel Kuczynski. Project:  thought-provoking illustrations that comment on social, economic, and political issues through satire

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This artwork caught my attention due to how disturbing yet meaningful it looks. To me, this artwork talks about today’s society on social media. On social media, there are many people getting bullied or hated for being different. They are judged and criticized by others, those are the ones with their heads higher than the rest of the people holding their phones in the artwork. Those who are criticized pay so much attention to the criticisms that they change who they are just to fit in, this was represented by their head in the artwork being mowed. The reason why this artwork means so much to me is that I have been noticing how toxic people can be on social media and how it can influence people both good and bad, I find it surprising how a stranger’s words can leave such a big impact on somebody.

Link: https://www.activistart.org/pawel-kuczynski/

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"To Be Young, Gifted and Criminalized" by Mark Harris: This shows the pain and the things that happen and happened to African Americans.

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https://www.activistart.org/mark-harris/
I chose this artwork because it shows the struggles that African Americans go through, through their life. This image shows that even in school and in the outside world African Americans are treated badly. There is an image of a white police officer holding a gun to a African American boy who is kneeling on the ground. There is another image that shows a African American boy who is studying but there are bullet holes, as if someone is targeting him. To me this shows how much hate that African Americans get just because of their skin color. I believe that everyone should be treated with the same respect, no matter the color of their skin.

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Eviair by Raemann. Project: Urban artist duo combating the commercialization of water.

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I chose this artwork because when I see it, I think this artwork can be our future. It gives us a message that we have a responsibility to nature and the condemn commercialization of natural resources that should be belongs to us. Also, stop the throw plastic into oceans. The act of the non-responsibility of today's generation today is our future descendants will bear the consequences.

Link: https://www.activistart.org/raemann/

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The war against nature | by Mark Bryan | Project: a social satirist and subconscious explorer using oil paint

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link: https://www.activistart.org/mark-bryan/

I choose this art piece by Mark Bryan called "The war against nature" as it shows a aspect of of humanity and their civilization. For all of humanity's history, humanity has tried to conquer nature, some may argue that we have, that we won. that we no long have to survive. I say this believe is false, will still have fight and survive from nature and natural disasters are an example of this. In this image it shows soldiers firing at a group of tornados as if it were a winnable battle, as we know there isn't way that humans can fight against such forces, that's were the comical aspect of the image comes from as Mark Bryan is a social satirist. It shows how humans will fight against forces of nature with the false believe that they can conquer it, as if a bullet can stop a wall of pure wind.

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An ongoing series of illustrations based on the currently endangered wildlife species in India. An attempt to draw more awareness towards the beautiful animals we could lose forever in our near future if we do not work aggressively for their conservation of their lives and habitat.

Link: https://www.anjalimehta.in/enroute-extinction

Anjali Mehta is a young artist whose life connection to her heritage creates art  stemming from her nationality.  She created a small series of post stamps that showcase her passion for conservation for wildlife.  Witnessing he gradual decline of endangered species, she wanted to show people that these animals need just as much attention as humans.  Her creativity to use bold colors, smooth lines and emphasizing the use of living creatures as the star of this series its capturing to the eye.  I too am passionate about conservation efforts, it is one of the worlds greatest challenges that is hard to get momentum and support for.  This young artist sees the property of making a statement about species that are threatened by our growing exploits of earth's natural habitants.  Using a medium of a stamp to represent this series shows that no matter where you're going or where you're sending the message conservation is universal to all things big and small.

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https://thegreats.co/artworks/fight
I chose this specific artwork because regardless I think its important to always fight. In this artwork you can see that someone or something was trying to fight its way back to freedom. This piece means a lot to me, you can view it in multiple ways. For me I am viewing it as breaking free from what is hurting. Finally feeling that hint of freedom people are always talking about when you feel locked up. The artist name is Safwat Saleem, this piece is called Fight linked to reimagining human rights.

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The Greats is a free platform for awesome socially engaged visual content, open to anyone to use or adapt non-commercially.

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Serigraph - Corita Art Center, Immaculate Heart Community, Los Angeles, California

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I choose this artwork because its true about the saying " Jesus never fails".  He never does, I have seen him work in my life and contines to do it. The piece had very bright colors with bold letters that captures the audience eyes. This piece of artwork brought happines to my eyes because I can relate to this quote. In the Bible it says, Jesus never fails even when things don't turn out the way we want them to. We must know that God has a purpose for everything we go through in life. “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28
I was reading the piece behind this artwork it says, "Each phrase featured in the composition seems disconnected from the others: from the religious "Jesus never fails" and the demand "DO," to the inscription "It's not easy" and the Beatles lyric "I get by with a little help from my friends." A typically eclectic mix of references, when taken together they leave the viewer with a simultaneously vague but distinct message: life is hard and hope is not easy, but if one commits oneself to living actively, in awareness of the presence of God and friendship, hope can be found.

Link:
https://www.theartstory.org/artist/kent-corita/#pnt_4

Corita Kent, Artist
jesus never fails ,1967

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The Starbucks are coming by MTT, NYC found on activistart.org

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When I look at this image, it represents so much of what I saw before I left my hometown. I lived in East LA in a small town called El Sereno. Surrounding it are Highland Park, Eagle Rock, Alhambra, Boyle Heights, City Terrace and Lincoln Park. LA is known for so many things like the movies, the Hollywood sign and the booming weed industry but what people sometimes fail to realize is the impact of that much boom on Los Angeles natives who have generations that date back further than the Hollywood sign who can no longer keep up with the inflated cost of living. I moved for different reasons but the ever changing atmosphere that big businesses brought into my home town and city was overwhelming. This image is triggering because I’ve grown up with so many corner stores that developed into Starbucks, Rite Aids and Targets. The corner store I came to know and love whose owners gave to their community was bought out and replaced by a business that put up tacks on the concrete to prevent from homeless people to set up a place to sleep. This image speaks volumes to the impact that gentrification brings on a community.

https://www.activistart.org/mtt/

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Nature Self-Portrait #2 By Laura Aguilar, 1996, Gelatin Silver Print, 35.6 × 48.4 cm (14 × 19 1/16 in., The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, California

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I chose this photography by Laura Aguilar initially because I found it interesting that woman would be lying curled up in what appears to be a desert by 3 rocks. After reading the back story on this photograph I learned the naked body is in fact of Aguilar herself and is apart of her Nature Self-Portrait series. Former studio manager Christopher A. Velasco explains that “she couldn’t communicate like she wanted to with language.” In which the landscape also had an important significance since she felt “accepted by nature” and hadn’t had much physical touch in her lifespan. I found this photograph and series to be a creative and very empowering way to bring to light of oneself and identity. Aguilar successfully challenged femininity, landscapes, and modernist photography in my opinion.

https://www.theartstory.org/artist/aguilar-laura/

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I chose this because I learned that Yikui Gu became a US citizen but was treated like a foreigner when he and his wife came to the immigration services to obtain her green card.

Yikui is Chinese and his wife is from Germany.  Technically, they both are foreigners in a sense, but America is supposed to be the land of dreams, hopes, new beginnings, and freedom.  It should not matter if you have a green card, not documented, a US citizen after naturalization, or a US born citizen.  We should all be treated as humans, nothing more and nothing less.

I was born in Mountain View, CA.  I am Vietnamese.  I speak and read Vietnamese fluently and I do eat (make and go out to eat) Vietnamese cuisine.  I do use chopsticks and I would often watch Vietnamese dubbed Chinese movies.  Does that make me any less of a US citizen?

It is attention-grabbing and I think that Yikui's works of using digital media during the pandemic showed visions of how he sees and feels towards everyday life and the way we see and treat others' stereotyping.

The link: We the People | Puffin Cultural Forum

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I picked this art because it speaks the truth in how the world for a lot of people are still struggling to make ends meat no matter how cheap somethings become, and even if they get paid more things that people need to buy to live they will still not be able to afford it. The art is called Dow Jones by the artist Hak Vogrin, Hak Vogrin provides art of personal pain and the true reality of everything that happens to people and himself by using 60's and 70's style cartoon works of art.

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The Advantages of Facing Extinction, by Fine Acts, inspired by the Guerrilla Girls. Source: https://fineacts.co/extinction

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This project immediately caught my eye since the creators described it as a "Living Piece". In other words, they invite the audience to add on, making the project a true community work. This really spoke to me; not only is climate change something that affects us all, the Fine Acts' satirical take on the issue brings the consequences into perspective. It serves as a call to action, as it makes the impact of climate change feel much more real, truly incentivizing the viewer to act.

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I picked this image because it has a good representation of what most American life style can be. Being comfortable and not wanting to be better. Most people are in some type of debt of some sort. I like this image a lot because it can be perceived in many ways , from focusing on the debt or possible the alcoholism that can be perceived in this image.
https://www.activistart.org/david-dees/

David Dees ‘ Debt’

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I chose this artwork because it resembles the fight that’s currently going on. Starting with the rights of woman. The laws of women’s rights are trying to be taken away by others. I especially like this because because it shows the different individuals fighting for everyone’s rights. The author who drew this powerful image was “Ricardo Levins Morales”. He l paints many different paintings of social issues that can touch many different interests and individuals. As well as woman rights Ricardo also discusses and paints about men’s rights and movements such as BLM, minimum wage and immigration. All of the subjects he discusses are powerful and symbolize importance.

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Trees vs Industrial Carbon Emission, Naufan Noordyanto, Artists for Climate Change

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https://thegreats.co/artworks/trees-vs-industrial-carbon-emission
I chose this artwork because it looks really simple and seems easy to understand yet it sends out a powerful message. It has two words, "Problem" written at the top and "Solution" at the bottom. From the top we can see some black industrial buildings with clouds of black carbon emissions being released from them. As you do down, the white space in between the buildings morph into white trees while the black buildings and smoke become the black space in between the trees. To me this piece means that a major byproduct of modern and past industrialization is carbon emissions which are harmful to the environment, which is depicted at the top with "problem" and the black buildings and smoke. If we want to protect not only humanity but also our planet, we need to find better ways to industrialize that are less harmful to the environment and more "green", which I feel like is depicted by the word "solution" and all the white trees towards the bottom.

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"What is unconditional self-love?" by Rita Loyd

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This one caught my attention because I believe that self love is very important. I do tend to struggle with self love a lot myself though. It is sort of a process the way I see it. I still try to figure out what I like doing for myself, what makes me happy and what makes me love myself. Just having peace and time for yourself is important , sometimes you need a day off. Thinking about too many things and stressing can be too overwhelming so it's good to take breaks. I also picked it because it's something I'm also working on myself because i realized how important need time for myself is and enjoying doing the things i like.

LINK: https://nurturingart.com/what-is-unconditional-self-love-2/

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Humanity | Pawel Kuczynski | 1976 | Poland

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Humanity | Pawel Kuczynski | 1976 | Poland

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I chose this artwork due to its abstract outlook and the interesting use of colours. Through carefull observation, we could understand that Kuczynski is trying to establish a concept that we as humans are cultivating Earth's resources for our own use. Our actions has provided Earth with both wonders and scars that may never heal. The interesting use of yellow as the backdrop could either be hinting at the "sunset" of human civilizaiton or the dawn of the modern age. The dichotomy of progress and preservation has always been a point of contention between different cultures and societies across the entire world. While climate activitists seek the reduction of resource usage, others seek further development of humanity by utilizing more of Earth's natural resources. This art piece could be interpreted as either an positive or negative sentimental expression on human civilization and nature.

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Deception Island, Antarctica by Zaria Forman: Documenting climate change through art

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https://www.activistart.org/zaria-forman/
I choose this artwork because climate change is a problem that almost everyone is aware exists but they may not necessarily understand the scale and impact that comes with climate change. I don’t plan on moving planets at any point in my lifetime so I’d like Earth to be as well as we can keep it for the people alive now and future generations. However, we have problems with changes to Polar ice caps, coral reefs, and rainforests, which hit us hard as well. These indirectly hurts us by affecting our sources of grown plants, food/drink, and even our clothing. Weather changes as well as we could have more irregular weather like droughts and hurricanes. Forman’s artwork shows the beauty of the landscape but also reveals the negative component of what’s happening as well. Through their artwork, they hope to bring more awareness and urgency to the problem through art, as it can facilitate a deeper understanding than words can at times.

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https://www.rlmartstudio.com/product/my-vote/

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Poster Art for Social Justice - Ricardo Levins Morales

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My Vote - Poster Art for Social Justice - Ricardo Levins Morales

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Poster about voting and voting rights by artist activist Ricardo Levins Morales. Affordable progressive art for social change, hope and healing. Union made.

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I chose this artwork because it angers me when our system is intentionally cruel. There are political agendas that seek to suppress others for one's own gain and ICE separating families, causing injury, illness exacerbation, and death, are all devastating examples.

This work is "Cold as ICE" by Michael D'Antuono as a part of Puffin Cultural Forum's collection "UnAmerica."
https://www.puffinculturalforum.org/unamerica/

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I chose this artwork because of what the artist is trying to convey based on the description of it. The artist is trying to show the social injustices that women, especially in Latino/a communities, face. All while also trying to show how people already have an idea of how a Latino/a women should act.
This art project aims to create an area where women are able to speak about their everyday experiences and their voices are heard.

Link: https://www.theartstory.org/movement/feminist-art/
- about the year 1978
Artist's name: Mónica Mayer
Title: El Tendedero

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I chose this piece of art by Elizabeth Catlett because it really depicts social injustices that should be talked about. Most of her work revolves around social injustices, historical figures, and women relationships. This artwork means a lot to me because I've always written and talked about injustices. Despite the negative "rewards" described by Special Houses and the prints representing segregation and lynching that immediately precede and follow it, Catlett concludes her series with hope, looking toward a future in which Black women have achieved the equality that is their right.

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This piece of art is meaningful to me because it gives a woman's point of view and a louder voice to speak up about certain things we don't like as woman’s where we live or usually commute to. This artist is also a feminist and talks about sensitive but very helpful topics which many women feel like they are alone. Some of these topics may be domestic violence, sexual harassment and trafficking as well. I believe this is a great and meaningful way to say what we think and dislike.