By Jess Ferguson
It seems everything in our lives turned upside down when the pandemic began. Yes, some things remain unchanged, but things will likely never fully go back to the way they once were. The same rings true for art. It only makes sense that such a historic year — filled with a pandemic, social movements and a presidential election — would be reflected within art. The art created during periods of unrest can be both an emotional outlet, as well as an educational tool. Since March, artists have been creating infographics on Instagram to promote resources like local businesses, places to donate to the Black Lives Matter movement, and voting registration instructions. These graphics are often shared onto users’ stories to spread information to their followers. MassArt class of 2019 graduate Zoe Gillette felt the responsibility to address the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement this summer in her artwork. “It was just hard to ignore something like that. It felt weird to just continue making art about my usual regular stuff, which is like animals in pants, kind of goofy stuff,” she said. “I needed to process it in my own way and make stuff to bring awareness. It’s been almost a paradigm shift in the way that we approach social media. Now more than ever, it just sort of feels like a big forum for collecting necessary information.”
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Dr. Leonie Bradbury, Emerson’s distinguished curator-in-residence, directs the media art gallery on campus. She attests to artists’ abilities to portray the world in a way that resonates with us. “Artists are very much on the forefront of society, and they’re often paying close attention to what’s happening in the world around them,” Bradbury said. “I myself really gain a greater understanding often of complex social or scientific situations or circumstances by looking at how artists are interpreting or responding to these current affairs. There are so many different ways to be in the world and to understand the world, and that’s what’s so exciting about working with living artists.” Following a rise in mental health abnormalities since March, we’re all looking for ways to feel normal or comforted. As an artist, Gillette feels both the comfort of creating art as well as experiencing others’ work. “I do really find it a comfort to have a medium to sort of channel my thoughts and even to look back retrospectively and see how it’s evolved,” she said. “That’s sort of what I want to project, is to give people something to laugh at or be interested in, or to look harder into.” Some of that comfort may come from the relatability of the content. We have all lived through many of these major changes, and so we can feel connected with the art’s content.