Making the Unconscious Conscious

The Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History has a very important exhibition on display. It is a collaboration between conceptual artist Hank Willis Thomas and Dr. Baz Dreisinger entitled “The Writing on the Wall.” It is an installation shaped to the size of a jail cell that features writings collected from Dreisinger’s time teaching creative writing in US jails.

Just Keep Reading

If you think this is a depressing topic, you’re not wrong. I believe that it is not hopeless, however. The building itself was at one time a jail, but now it is a museum. These writings were done from a place cloaked with the invisibility of incarceration, now they are being read by the public. The subject of this show is far from cheerful but it represents a positive direction.

Imagination and Freedom

Great achievement requires vision and for that to be possible a feat of the imagination is necessary. To create a better future we must have the courage and will to dream. Despite the challenges of the present, we must think of a way to succeed.

Writing and History

Most of human existence has been illiterate. Indeed, what we call history begins with the written record. The difficult and rare practice of writing has become more common over time. The discipline of writing is fundamental to the ability to imagine, core to the possibility of transforming.

Concept and Form

This exhibition is not decorative. It is not dripping with beauty. It may diverge from your expectations of what art should be. If you can set aside your preconceptions and enter the exhibition with a spirit of curiosity, then this will be a show you will remember, an exhibit that reaches the depths of your imagination.