The exhibit itself is going to be in a square room, with walls that are black, not white like usual museums, and graffiti or paint splatters all over the walls over the black paint. The lighting of the exhibit should be dim, but have spotlights on each of the pieces being shown.
The first thing you would see in this exhibit would be the Untitled piece photographed by Larry Qualls at the American Fine Arts Co. This piece would be on a wall blocking your path from the rest of the exhibit, forcing all visitors to give it your upmost attention. After wards, you would be given the opportunity to move around the wall to the left or right, to observe the rest of the exhibit which would be along the remaining three walls of the square room (With the main piece existing on its own in the front, only viewable while entering). In the middle of the room, would be the top of the sculpture “El Ángel de la Indepencia” that exists in Mexico City. The sculpture represents independence, and a celebration of protest. It is described as representing law, war, justice, and peace; it would be a central point in the exhibit as a reminder that protest should be encouraged when the government is not doing well. The people are responsible to holding the government accountable, and justice should be served for the government, as well as the people.
On the left wall, the next four photos/paintings would be hung in order. “Our Daily Bread”, a photograph of Susan Ravitz protesting the U.S wars, the photo set of “war Protest” and “Freedom March”, and “Mustard Race Riot”. All of these showcase the grittiness of protest, and I feel like they hold a lot of emotion. Not only is it anger but it also shows hope, which is the point of protesting in the beginning. The painting “Our Daily Bread” shows very initial forms of protest; protesting against the upper-class people and being forced to beg and demand basic human necessities, like bread, simply to survive. Both photographs demonstrate the concept of not being happy with a government’s decisions, and therefore calling them out on it. The photo of Susan Ravitz shows a great deal of hope when you look into her eyes, as if she was demanding to be given attention and have her voice heard, because she truly believed in what she was asking for. The piece “Mustard Race Riot”, shows general riots taking place because of distaste of current situations, however the idea of these images being placed side by side and reprinted makes the statement that protest is necessary, and ever-present.
On the middle wall, I would place “Riot” by Tomoo Gokita and “There’s a Riot Going On” by Joyce Pensato. These are both more abstract pieces, however my interpretation of them is that they highlight anger, and a lack of trust in things around you. I feel like both are important to showcase because it will make the viewer recognize that when there is a hatred for society, and the idea that things are not working in a way that they should be, it is extremely important for us as the people to step up and make it known that not only are we not happy, but we will do something about it.
On the right wall, I would end the exhibit with the murals, “Healing Walls: an Inmate’s Journey full”, and “Lierderes de la Comunidad”. The murals show happiness and diversity, which is signs of a successful community. There is text within the second mural that describes how important it is to live a happy life, in a world where war is not a priority but instead the priority is justice, which to me speaks to the purpose of protest. The first mural is dedicated to healing, and I feel as though healing after social change is achieved is a very important tenant to protest – we protest because life is worth it, and what we fight for is worth it in the end when we have that time to heal. However, that healing and the festival celebrating life will never be possible without protest. The murals are the highlight of my exhibit because I hope to inspire the viewer at the end and remind them that while protesting may seem messy, complicated, and even impossible, the outcome will make it worth it in the end.
