CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — A series of video and audio projects by University of Illinois students examines how those students feel about racism, sexism and wealth inequality.
The documentaries are the final projects of students enrolled in a course titled “Documenting Inequality.” The class examines how documentaries and community-based art can enhance the understanding of economic and social inequalities. But the greatest learning came from the students’ conversations with each other.
“The class itself was amazingly diverse. When kids started talking to each other about their experiences, it was really eye-opening for everyone,” said Terri Weissman, a U. of I. art history professor who taught the class.
Weissman said her students came from underserved schools in Chicago, where there were very few books in the schools, and also from wealthy suburban schools, where every student had a MacBook Air and sports teams played at million-dollar facilities.
Their projects will be on display at Krannert Art Museum beginning Thursday, Dec. 3, with a public reception from 5 to 7 p.m. The documentaries – 11 video and three audio pieces – can be viewed from 5 to 9 p.m. on opening night and throughout the exhibition, which runs through Dec. 12. Also on view are nine audio projects from a course called “Cultures of Debt.” The student projects examine personal and international debt, and particularly student debt.
The “Documenting Inequality” course was one of student Rachel Pyon’s favorite classes. She chose it because she is interested in art and in social justice.
“By far the greatest aspect of this class was the diverse group of students,” Pyon said. “Everyone comes from such different backgrounds, and it definitely sheds light on perspectives of inequality I have not seen before. I realized how privileged I was to grow up in an affluent area and a well-developed school district.”
Kira Bolos, another student in the class, agreed: “It was strange – and a bit sickening – to realize the educational inequality between my peers, even though a lot of us grew up within an hour of each other. It made me realize a lot about privilege and how where and how you grow up really does have a large influence on your future.”
“The kids became really sensitive to difference,” Weissman said. “Friendships formed that I think wouldn’t have formed otherwise with kids from different areas, and I think that comes out in some of the videos.”
Javon Mayfield said hearing his classmates’ perspectives led him to re-evaluate the circumstances he and his family have faced and made him more concerned for his loved ones.
“Knowing how big of a step coming to the U. of I. is (for me) only makes me think of how far back my brothers are,” said Mayfield, who created a documentary, titled “The Perspective,” with four other students in the style of a talk show in which they discuss inequities in public education.
The “Documenting Inequality” and “Cultures of Debt” courses are two of the Grand Challenge Learning Pilot courses that emerged from the University of Illinois’ Campus Conversation on Undergraduate Education, an initiative of the Office of the Provost.
The Grand Challenge Learning courses are in three broad topic areas: sustainability, energy and the environment; health and wellness; and social inequality and cultural understanding.
All the students in Weissman’s course are freshmen. They watched documentaries about issues of inequality in housing, education and law enforcement, and they talked about their own experiences, Weissman said. Then they created their own documentaries on issues of their choice, including bullying, sexism in the STEM fields, differences in the education system, mental illness, police brutality and racial microaggressions.
Weissman noted the topic is particularly timely, given the many college campuses dealing with issues of racism recently.
Charmi Shah learned how art can create a more personal appeal for social justice. She and another student created a documentary on wealth inequality titled “The Defining Challenge of Our Time.”
“Though it was important to incorporate many facts for the documentary to serve its initial purpose, to teach, the artistic features are what allowed the audience to connect to the topic, initiating action to bring about a change,” Shah said.
Pyon’s project is “Microaggressions: The Underlying Truth.”
“As a minority, I have definitely felt discouraged by these ‘subtle’ comments and actions,” she said. “I think art is a powerful method of addressing social justice issues. I find documentaries specifically to be one of the most effective ways of raising awareness of the inequalities our society faces.”