ArtPrize Eight Archives - Page 5 of 5 - Artist and Facilitator Pamela Alderman

Standing Up for Others

GeneralBy Pamela Alderman September 12, 2016

By guest writer Brittany Costantini

Color Me Orange—Color Me Kind

ArtPrize Eight has presented Pamela Alderman with an opportunity to feature a piece on bullying with the Girl Scouts of Michigan Shore to Shore playing a volunteer support role. In this interactive art piece, the center painting shows koi fish swimming against the current just as Pamela is encouraging the ArtPrize viewers to do when it comes to treating others with kindness—even when it is not easy. By choosing kindness over hate, we can impact our culture; that is the promise the viewers will be making as they tie an orange ribbon onto the mesh structure.

Jack’s Story

In second grade, you work on your handwriting and multiplication. But for Jack Peterson, he had to learn how to fight on the playground.

Jack was targeted by bullies at school who would shove wood chips up his nose. Then they would push him into a play house and tie a jump rope around the door to ensure he could not escape. They also punched him over and over again.

This bullying continued into fifth grade until he was able to stand up for himself by fighting one of the leaders of the group. He claimed, “I did not win, but neither did he. And after that, they left me alone.”

Jack is now 18 and is looking forward to his future as a doctor. He recognizes that his experience with bullying has impacted who he is today. He started wrestling and even became a state champion. But he also learned that it is important to stand up for those who cannot fight for themselves.

For reasons of security, names have been changed.

Color Me Orange—Color Me Kind

Coloring with Kindness
Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum
September 21 to October 9, 2016
Vote 62626
(Located outside on the museum plaza)

Tell Us Your Story. #ColorMeKind

Color Me Orange—Color Me Kind: School Bullying

Behind the ArtworkBy Pamela Alderman September 7, 2016

After the suicide of Zoe Johnson, a West Michigan thirteen year old, a fellow student wrote on the victim’s Facebook page: “Good ur gone.”

I don’t know all the details involved. But after listening to the news report on bullying, I felt compassion for Zoe’s mother and what must be her complete devastation by her daughter’s death and the tragic outcome, in this case, of school bullying.

Color Me Orange—Color Me Kind shines a spotlight on bullying. The installation is specifically tailored for middle school students—often the most vulnerable. Some students like Zoe suffer so intensely from bullying that they believe that suicide is the way to end it all.

The Artwork

Color Me Orange—Color Me Kind is a 16 x 4 x 6-foot wooden structure enclosed by orange mesh walls. The work also supports an eight-foot focal art piece, weighing approximately 140 pounds, which shows Koi fish struggling to swim upstream; this struggle represents our challenging relationships.

The two top layers of the artwork are made up of painted Plexiglas fish and splashes. The placement of these fish and splashes creates a sense of energy and tension. The following side view shows the multi-layer artwork.

Acrylic fish on plexiglas Fish and splashes (side view)

The Plexiglas panel located below the fish represents the river water. The following photos show the back side of the Plexiglas panel that is painted with several layers of acrylic paint. From the front view, each layer creates texture and the sense of depth. Some of the current has been left unpainted to give a glimpse of the riverbed. This multi-layered art piece rests on an eight-foot stainless steel base etched with current marks that portrays river bottom movement.

Plexi panel (back view): Layer one

Plexi panel (back view): Layer two

Plexi panel (back view): Layer three

Viewing the artwork from the front, visitors can see through the splashes and river current, enhancing a multi-dimension visual experience. The installation is situated next to the pond and waterfalls of the Ford Presidential Museum, giving water sounds, and, if the wind is just right, the spray of water.

Interactive Healing Installation

Fifty thousand orange ribbons have been prepared for visitors to interact with the work. As ArtPrize viewers tie orange ribbons on the canvas, the see-through orange mesh fencing will become opaque with color. Thus, as a community, we will be symbolically coloring with kindness.

By choosing to be deliberately kind, our actions have the potential to brighten someone’s world.

Maybe kindness, love, and understanding would have helped Zoe’s school situation and resulted in a different outcome. Life-affirming creativity that invites reflection and flourishing can heal.