Monthly Archives: January 2015

Are we blind to those that were here from the start?

Many Americans have a limited perception when it comes to modern American Indians and the way they identify in society. There are countless misconceptions and stereotypes stemming from mainstream media and education depict that were never really properly challenged. The Native Americans’ history is far more complex than we are even aware of, but honestly many Americans believe lies and myths or are just not properly educated on the truths about American Indians. My eyes have just been opened to some basic facts about our indigenous people that I had absolutely no clue about… and that terrified me. How could I be so ignorant to the basic reality that is occurring in our nation? How could it have never even crossed my mind that those native to this land might still be suffering today? Hopefully I can challenge you to see with fresh eyes and a new perspective from the side of those that were here in this nation from the start.

There are more than 560 federally recognized tribes in the United States today. More than 560. Now how many of those tribes can you name? 1? 2? Maybe 3?…

Native_American_Tribes_Map_1

When I was asked how many tribes I thought there were today I figured a very small number as I made the assumption that many of them were starting to disappear due to America’s engulfing society, forcing them to conform. And yet there are thousands and thousands of tribes, nations, and peoples all throughout the nation that are not even recognized by the government on a legal level. Thousands of different nations and tribes of our indigenous people. And I could only probably name a few. Wow. My eyes opened to start to see some of the truth – the truth on how sheltered I am from the reality of the Native Americans in present day.

Many of us have this misconception that Native Americans have to have long black hair and wear leather to be considered “real” Native Americans.

classic native american Due to ignorance many think of only the 19th century mid-west Indian cultures and think that there are no more REAL Native Americans. Real? The British aren’t wearing white powdered wigs, tights, and buckled shoes anymore yet they are still real, right? How come the 5.2 million indigenous people are not seen as real American Indians? As real people even? We as Americans have this image from our history books of the big head dresses, long braids, leather, and moccasins; we think that it is something of the past or something that no longer exists in this country. Just because the nation has pushed these native people out of sight does not mean that they have to be out of mind…

because I don't fit sereotypes...

The nation has worked from the start to make invisible the natives in the hopes of possibly forgetting or moving past the nation’s past.  It just is not right.  We deserve to know the truth about the past and the truth about the reality of the situation in present day.  I can honestly say I have never seen a reservation. I have never even seen a picture of one – that is how shielded I am from reality and how hidden from the rest of society the indigenous people are. Yet, stepping into life from their perspective, I saw the entire situation with fresh eyes. I was faced with some facts that hit hard that I think everyone should be aware of.

According to the National Relief Charities,

  • 1-in-3 Native American women will be raped in her lifetime; the majority of the perpetrators – white.
  • 28% of American Indians are living below the federal poverty line
  • There are 90,000 homeless or under housed Indian families

After further research of Native American Aid, a program for National Relief Charities that helps work to improve the living conditions of those on reservations, I found out some truth about life on a reservation or just as an American Indian in general.

  • The overall living conditions on some reservations have been cited as “comparable to the Third World.” NRC’s Program Partners tend to agree with this.2
  • With jobs hard to come by, unemployment ranges from 35% to 85%, depending on the community- overall unemployment for American Indians is about 49%…
  • Many American Indians work full-time yet still fall below the poverty line ranging from 38%-63%
  • The suicide rate is 3 times the national average

And the list goes on…

My eyes have been opened to the reality of life on the reservation and of American indians in general, hidden from the attention of the media and the public. The reality really is shocking.

reservation school  reservation water pump  reservation house

From Trash to Treasure – Can you see the magic in Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens?

“I have been trying to make a total encyclopedic vision that has no parameters and no end. My work is marked by events and is a mirror of the mind that is building and falling apart, having a logic but close to chaos, refusing to stay still for the camera, and giving one a sense of heaven and hell simultaneously.

It is an impossible place, but you can visit and smile and know that it exists somewhere. Now you know that place is in Philadelphia, and you knew it all along, didn’t you?”

– Isaiah Zagar

gardens artist

 

Try to think back on all of the things that you have carelessly tossed over your shoulder into the trashcan just today or even in the past week. Maybe you can remember throwing out a button that popped off your sweater, a broken mirror that smashed during your move back to campus after break, a shoelace that seemed to have lost its pair, or maybe even an empty bottle of wine or beer… not that any of you would be in possession of any bottles besides water bottles am I right? 🙂 I’m sure there are hundreds of other things that got the boot of rejection into the deep dark depths of the bottom of the trashcan without a single thought. Americans each and every day mindlessly throw away enough garbage to fill up 63,000 garbage trucks, which, if lined up for a year, would stretch halfway to the moon!! It’s nothing important it’s just trash. Right?

Well, to Isiah Zagar, mosaic artist, visionary, but most importantly dumpster diver, trash is the sole provider for his passion as well as career as a mosaic artist. In 1994, Zagar, after years of frustration that his work did not get selected to be shown in any museums, decided to instead create art in public places throughout Philadelphia in order for the entirety of the public to be inspired. In a vacant lot in the middle of South Street is where the magic began. After building walls, tunnels, stairs, and small caves throughout the 3,000 square foot space, this inspired mosaic mural artist took to the streets within the community in the search of little treasures, beautiful aspects of art, colorful pieces of glistening glass, or what some of us might call trash.

After about fourteen years of finding the potential in each and every scrap, Isaiah Zagar finished piecing together the vibrant, thought-provoking mosaic creation that is now named Philadelphia’s Magic Garden.

philly magic gardens       gardens

Over this past winter break, when I told my friends I hadn’t ever been, they were shocked so we hopped on the trolley and were there the next day.  I quickly learned that the mural exhibition was made from trash—entirely unwanted rubbish. Being an artist myself, I never would have imagined even attempting to make an art piece out of something as unattractive as things found in a smelly dumpster.

How can a garden be filled with trash? That doesn’t exactly sound like something that would be beautiful… but boy was I ever wrong. As I swung open the doors to the outdoor wonderland I had no idea what to expect. I had a connotation with trash that consisted of smelly piles of food scraps and dirty diapers; that is what my eyes saw and my mind thought when they looked at a pile of trash. Yet when I walked through that door and into the extravagant twinkling display that was so called “trash”, I did not see trash as I had once seen it before. As I ran my hand over the pieces of torn up dolls, recycled bicycle tires, and bits of colorful broken glass, I was not running my hand over undesirable junk as one perspective might see it; I was running my hands over the intricate components that pieced together this massive masterpiece.

philadelphia magic garden

My eyes were opened to the possibilities of beauty within unexpected forms of art.

Filled with different snippets of poetry, meaningful quotes, references to current events, and worldly cultural experiences, this magical world was overwhelmingly beautiful and deeply meaningful. It had heart. It had soul. It was art. It was trash. Yet, it is all about perspective. When I walked into Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens I instantly saw trash with fresh eyes. Each and every piece of broken teacup and cracked record were all key contributors to the vibrant colors and characters encompassed within the Magic Gardens. In order to feel the true magic that is possible at Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens all you have to do is open your mind to the beauty of art within the unexpected.

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Here we are!

Artists all over are crazy about this new medium of creating beautiful pieces of artwork from ordinary trash. Check it out!

http://www.noupe.com/inspiration/showcases/40-terrific-works-of-art-made-from-common-trash.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/31/washed-ashore-art_n_5420567.html

http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/recycled-art-masterpiece-made-from-junks/

Seeing with Fresh Eyes – The Power of Perspective

Throughout my first semester here at Penn State I have been lucky enough to take many courses that have challenged my thinking and encouraged me to think outside of the mindset I was conditioned to have in high school. I immediately tried my best to break free from the suffocating box that had restricted my openness and change of perspective. I began to slow down, look up, and open my eyes to the amazing world around me. I began to question my previous beliefs and the truths that society has conditioned me to hold as universal and self-evident. I began to take note of my values and beliefs and then see what another perspective on those same ideas might be. What I found was truly life-changing and I wanted to try to share this idea of seeing with fresh eyes! I am doing my passion blog this semester on experiences that I have seen with fresh eyes and a new perspective in an attempt to try to get others to also just start thinking out of the box about how powerful perspective really is.

having new eyes

MLK Day of Service

As I sit here reflecting back on the day that I was lucky enough to have today, I cannot help but smile. It is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. To some, this means a cozy all day slumber without the interruption of the treks to and from class in the miserably cold weather. However, when my alarm cut through the silence of the still, sleepy dorm this morning at 7:30 am I hopped right out of bed—I’d never been so thrilled! Ok. So that’s a bit of a stretch… but in all reality, after snoozing for about 20 minutes, ripping myself from the warmth of the cocoon that was my six different blankets and plethora of pillows, and dragging myself into the brisk early morning and over to the HUB, I was genuinely extremely excited for the day that was to come—MLK Service Day.

Upon receiving an email thread that listed all of the events that were occurring on MLK Day, I immediately signed up for the all day service day. I had participated in FreshStart, a similar all day service opportunity, the first week or so of school and I wanted to once again meet some amazing, generous people and do something for others in my new community of Penn State. I was assigned to go with 8 other PSU students to Zerby Gap Family Works which is a group home for troubled boys ages 12-19. I had no idea what I was in for and whether these boys would accept me, but I was trilled by the idea of giving it my best shot.

After a half hour drive, more like half hour nap, we made it to Zerby Gap and were immediately greeted by a friendly, smiling woman Cindy and a few of the residents. She was thrilled to have us and could not wait to get started, which channeled excitement throughout my entire body. As I walked through the house to the upstairs where we would be painting all of the boys’ bedrooms, my heart could not help but hurt for these boys. Sure, it was a pretty nice house on a beautiful plot of land, but it wasn’t home. There were no pictures of loved ones on the walls. There were no childhood memories. There were no traditions or cultural aspects. It was definitely a house but was most likely not home to these boys. I was then even more driven to help paint these bedrooms because I can only infer how hard it is living in a group home, so if I can help even a little bit by painting each room a bright, cheery color of their choosing, then I will most definitely do my best.

Throughout the 8 hour day of painting these boys’ rooms I couldn’t help but notice all of the huge holes, marks, and bumps all over the walls. It occurred to me sure I can cover up some of the blemishes on the wall with the vibrant blue paint but it is just masking the pain. I can cover up the signs of hardship and struggle but that doesn’t mean that they still aren’t there. The boys that were helping us paint eventually warmed up to us and were joking around and laughing yet I knew deep down there were still those holes, marks, and bumps we were trying to cover up with a little paint. Even if it just on the surface I am glad I could try to patch up some of the hurt with some laughs and smiles. Even if deep down is still hurting, a smile can only help. I hope that today I at least made a few of the residents smile like I am now because it really was a wonderful day in honor of a remarkable man, Martin Luther King Jr..

mlk day of service