Amber Sadiq, Arts & Tech Editor
@asadiqcourant
From October 15 to 29, the Through Your Looking Glass showcase took place at the New Canaan Museum and Historical Society, allowing visitors to witness work done by students and their expression of social justice. From the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests, to the country’s nail-biting presidential race between Biden and Trump, and the recent overturn of Roe v. Wade, the conversation of social justice has been one prevalent amongst many. With diversity, equality, and inclusion currently being a hot topic with the Board of Education, the importance of social justice becomes especially apparent. The showcase allowed for a broad perspective, having students from New Canaan, Norwalk, Greenwich, and Stamford submit pieces.
Following the murder of George Floyd, Connecticut Realtor and New Canaan Resident Fatou Niang founded the organization Stand Together Against Racism (STAR). This past October, STAR partnered with The Glass House to establish a student art showcase centering around social justice. The display, titled Through Your Looking Glass, gave students the opportunity to submit pieces that reflect how social justice impacts their lives and what it is through their looking glass. “The idea is to create an event about design with a social justice lens,” Ms. Niang said. “After brainstorming with the STAR Operating Board, we decided that an art showcase will give the students participating more flexibility on how they would like to express themselves.”
Preparation for the event began this past summer, and with the initiative taken by chairmen Susan Borst and co-chairmen Shona Goldberg, the showcase was brought to life. “It was intended to be an open space for the students participating to express themselves and their point of view on issues that are important to them when it comes to social justice,” Ms. Niang said. “From the art pieces we received, the definition of social justice was as broad as their inspirations” she said.
From New Canaan, ten students submitted work of their own. Senior Elena Dashi, a leader of the school’s Social Justice club, was personally contacted by the STAR organization regarding the art show. “The New Canaan Library has a mini Social Justice Group and we previously talked about linking the two,” Elena said. “One of the librarians mentioned STAR so I had already had information about the organization and planned on reaching out about working together.”
Elena has been an active member of the Social Justice Club since her sophomore year. “I thought the Social Justice Club could be a way to expose people in New Canaan to different cultures and to show them that life isn’t just roses. I think it’s important especially because these are affluent individuals who can make a difference really easily if they wanted to,” Elena said. “I understand that people can be a bit more uncomfortable with sharing their opinions, especially when it comes to more controversial topics, so I think being able to showcase it through art is a much easier way to get people involved in tackling social issues.”
Elena submitted a piece that touched on the differentiating experiences between women in both first world and third world countries, particularly the topic of menstruation and the stigma behind it in different parts of the world. “Side by side I drew a photo of Nina Dobrev being praised on her instagram and the cover of a news article I read of a woman in Nepal who had a sanitary pad across her face. It was supposed to represent her lack of voice. Underneath I wrote ‘Clean & Dirty?’,” Elena said. “I wanted to contrast the differences in cultural norms and also show how these two women, who are approximately the same age, are living in different parts of the world and living completely different lives.”
Each art piece was an individual expression from the artist’s point of view on the subject, making every submission very unique. For New Canaan submissions, many of the students provided their own perspective in a community as such. “I’ve always felt a very competitive atmosphere in our community. It’s very hard to see beyond the boundaries that people are pushing and it can be very mentally straining.” said junior Ava Pertusiello, another student submitting to the show.
ADD INTRO SENTENCE“You have to manage to see beyond those boundaries to truly find yourself and with so many social groups, it’s so hard to navigate what’s right for you,” Ava said. “I wanted my piece to be about perspective and how people see you. When visiting the Glass House, I noticed how when you look through the glass, you not only see the exhibit but also a reflection of yourself and your surroundings.”
Junior Layla Steed is another artist contributing to the showcase. “There is a lack of diversity and it’s clear that people of color have been consistently oppressed and not given the same opportunities,” Layla said. “I think social justice is being aware of that and realizing that even the small things I do everyday could maybe help a community.”
The broader message of Through Your Looking Glass is to reach out if you have been impacted and express it’s personal importance to you, encouraging students and adults to continue the conversation of social justice and to listen to each other and respect each other’s point of view. Quote?
In addition to the art show, the STAR organization has provided many educational opportunities to the community with the intent of preventing bias and microaggressions rooted in ignorance. “Our mission is to equip residents of New Canaan, CT and neighboring communities with tools and resources to understand systemic racism and to proactively advocate for racial equity and bias elimination.” Ms. Niang said. “We believe that together, we can create transformative and sustainable social change in our communities.”
Members of the organization hope to make the art show as regular as the other clubs and events they have established. “Both S.T.A.R, as an organization, and us, individually, have learned so much from the students’ point of view and that was more important to us. This was our first edition, and we hope to have even more visitors next year,” Ms. Niang said.
Despite its limited run, the many art pieces shown in Through Your Look Glass displayed social justice and anti-bias as an everyday mindset. “Social justice is in my everyday actions, I choose mindfulness in everything I do. Respecting the people I interact with, accepting that they can be different from me in where they stand on issues and taking every opportunity as a new opportunity to learn from them and improve my own understanding and perspective on things,” Ms. Niang said. “Social justice is not rooted in screams and protests, but in kindness toward each other,” she said. The immense success of the showcase makes it a likely event for next year, one that the STAR organization will keen on keeping annually.
