Grant Kester

Oh my goodness, my head feels like mush after this reading. Dealing with art that pertains to a certain group seems like a great challenge to take on as an artist. Kester's writing made me realize how many questions you have to ask yourself in the process of creating a piece that "represents" a specific culture, gender, race, or social class.

The section of the reading that focused on Dawn DeDeaux's Soul Shadows, specifically on her own reason behind her art making, interested me. DeDeaux had identified in herself that she had created a prejudice against young african american males due to personal experiences. She took her own fear and mixed it with the humanity that was on the other end of that fear. I find that task brave and admirable. Kester's writing further helped me realize how much responsibility DeDeaux took on as an artist in that situation, and how much of that responsibility was uncalled for and her control. So much of that weight and responsibility to her work was due to the criticism, both negative and positive, that was placed upon it. And that kind of unpredictable responsibility seems a bit intimidating and scary. But, that's not necessarily be a bad thing.

I'm curious to see what tomorrow's discussion will be like...