Project Reflection

This project made us dive into different social movements throughout US history, and how they

impact us as a society. Our first assignment leading up to our final project was an infographic

about a social movement we got to choose. I decided to go with the People’s Climate Movement,

which is – as the name suggests – an environmental justice movement, composed of many

different sub groups. One of these groups is the Sunrise Movement, whose members take a more

direct approach compared to their counterparts. Some of their tactics involve creating large

amounts of noise outside of the homes of people who have hurt the climate, or made efforts to

slow down action to better the climate. This all would then lead to our Op-Ed (opinion

editorials), and ultimately to our final project, which in my case was a painting and collage.

Throughout my research for my Op-Ed – which was about PACs and lobbying in congress done

by fossil fuel corporations – I found that the money these corporations provide is more than

corruptible. In a way, corporations run our country, and that’s a problem; because when our

elected officials aren’t working in our interest, our needs won’t be heard, and change won’t be

made. This really made me think about how our systems of making the people’s interests heard

need to change. The first thing that really needs to be done is to cap the amount of money

allowed to flow from lobbyists to people in political positions. Then, the 2 party system needs to

evolve into a more diverse form of government so that a more diverse demographic of people

and ideologies can join into congress. After this is all said and done, there need to be agencies

dedicated to monitoring flow of capital from lobbyists to political figures. This all would take so

much effort, and being aware of it, I want to personally fight for change in that regard.
All in all, I really enjoyed this project and ultimately, the exhibition. I thought that everyone did

really beautiful work, and went above and beyond. I loved the process of painting the house of

congress, and collaging – it was really meditative. I really enjoyed watching the process of my

peers creating their own art and the refinement they had to go through. Ultimately, I would’ve

liked to see more communication with what needs people have, though that isn’t too relevant.

I’m really excited to see what people come up with for our next exhibition, and what issues

others decide to dig into next.