Smack Mellon gallery, in Brooklyn’s DUMBO, gathered works from many artists addressing the problem of police violence as it affects people of color in an exhibition entitled ‘Respond’. A surge in civil rights activism came alive through the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement wherein people protested to express anger about institutional racism and the many issues that stem from it, law enforcement violence in particular. The entire class visited the gallery individually and during class we discussed our positions on issues and impressions of the art. The conflict and the coexistence that the racial battles in America and the city exhibit did a great deal to move our thoughts to consider the many perspectives on the movement through discussion, blog posts, and further research. The importance of the topic to our class theme and the intensity of the discussion led us all to agree that we could not close our semester without returning to ‘Respond’ this time, with more informed, nuanced opinions to explore the conflict/coexistence struggle that is very much alive today.
Smack Mellon, 92 Plymouth St., Brooklyn; Respond, Jan. 17 - Feb. 22, 2015.
Clicking on the images below will guide you to each student’s response to the exhibit.
