Classroom Observation #4

What surprised you?
        While observing at the W gallery, I was surprised at the varying sizes of the artworks and the detail put into the smaller ones. Some of the smaller pieces even included other parts so small that several could fit into the palm of a persons hand. It was interesting to see the materials used and designs given to these portions since I believed there was usage of clay slabs to symbolize books while multi-colored cloths emphasizing different subjects of book. Along with this, the chairs that were crafted appeared to play a role across multiple artworks as they were shown in different arrangements and various states of quality. To me, these items symbolize the students in our education system and their stages of quality stand for the kind of education that is given to them. This idea was most likely intentional from the artist's perspective since the exhibition discusses the inequality of our system towards non-Whites and those of lower income areas. This disparity was brought up during our time here, but I feel like it bears repeating: How are places with lower incomes along with less support for students and teachers supposed to give an equal education if all they are given is disadvantages?  

What did you learn?
         Things I learned during this day:
  • The notions of racial segregation in school education and policies is a topic of discussion in artworks
  • Chalkboards can offer the artistic idea of writing and erasing stories
  • The idea of who gets to write their story is a commonly explored topic that while common can still be viewed from new perspectives
  • The education given to children in the US is still far from being truly equal
What would you have done differently?
       I would have liked to observe the artworks more in depth and take more time to analyze them. Artworks often have subtler ques and ideas hidden underneath the surface that are not noticeable at a first glance and this exhibition is the same. Similarly, I would have liked to read the legal documents placed around the exhibition as they required me to reread them several times before I understood their purpose. 

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