How do we connect the dots…

Thoughts following the May 19th Arts Learning Leadership Retreat: Envision Our Future at Jefferson Elementary School, San Leandro

There is an artist whose work I enjoy whose images may help us think. Yakoi Kusama has a life story that brings her graphic use of dots deeper meaning. (You can click the link to see more and to learn more about her.)  I have been thinking about connecting the dots between our mapping discussions and how to best tell our urgent story. The story of what we know needs to be changed and our vision of what it will hopefully look like in the not too distant future.

Yakoi Kusama’s Obliteration Room  from the Gallery of Modern Art in Brisbane is where over the course of two weeks children who visited were given thousands of coloured dot stickers and were invited to collaborate in the transformation of the space.  A simple, gorgeous interactive installation that is in many ways a visual metaphor for our work of identifying dots then connecting them in meaningful, productive ways.

“…a polka-dot has the form of the sun, which is a symbol of the energy of the whole world and our living life, and also the form of the moon, which is calm. Round, soft, colorful, senseless and unknowing. Polka-dots become movement… Polka dots are a way to infinity.” Y.Kusama

How will we spread our message into infinity? What does advocacy look and sound like?

Is it a poster, a card, a photo or a video? 

How could we spread our story / message in a way similar to the ‘It gets better’ video postings which provided a groundswell of support and human context for adolescents and young adults struggling with anti-gay bullying?

Instead of just throwing dots to see what sticks ………………………………………………………………………………

I would really like to do some front end thinking to focus and best articulate the most urgent message.  What do I have?

I have composed my thoughts to answer the prompt: These three things must change. I have several pdf prompts for postcards that quantify a classroom teachers experience. I continue to wonder about the best video prompt… There is so much to be said that many would rather say anonymously . I know – this speaks volumes. We may need masks for our video’s.

I will continue to post this content in several dedicated entries to follow.

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