Atomic Cowboy/ Take It Home Exhibition Response - Jayden Battle

 Part 1: Cultural Activism Defined

The main focus of the NJCU art exhibition was to give the audience a better idea, or a clearer image of the negative effects of nuclear bombs. Many people just seen the immediate effects of the bomb but never seen it on a deeper level. People who weren't even involved in the war passed away due to the carcinogenic Debrees that the nuclear weapons left. These negatives weren't shown by words, they were shown by art. This is an amazing form of activism and a great way of showing that you are antiwar. Many pieces in the exhibit spoke about the lives lost, mistakes that were made, and how history will never be the same. This was all done by creative art activists who had a goal that they needed to accomplish. Society tries to ignore the after mass of these mass events, but art will keep these problems alive and will have future generations ask questions. I was born many years after Hero Shima, but the art exhibition made me feel like I was alive during the time of the nuclear war. The sheer attention to detail and emotion in the art works made me feel an emotion that I don't often feel. These were emotions of grief, and sadness and that was all done by viewing amazing art. The Hero Shima bombings were also an extremely sensitive topic to talk about, so art was a great way to speak your mind in a way that wasn't too direct, A quote that shows this is, "Art allows us to say things that can’t be said, to give form to abstract feelings and ideas and present them in such ways that they can be communicated with others."-Steve & Steve, Page 25. This is from the book, The Art of Activism: Your All-Purpose Guide to Making the Impossible. Art was a great way to communicate anti-nuclear weapon beliefs as this was a sensitive topic to speak out on. Art has distinct communication for people who really get it, and not the whole world. As I stated before there were many innocent people who died, these people had families, stories, and trials that they've been through in life. Kimberely Drew states, "In my life, I have made a point of telling stories of triumph. I have had to fight so many battles to succeed that I want to maintain an agency with how my story is told."-Drew, Page 28. Now this quote doesn't directly speak for the people who died, but it serves as a point.  In the exhibition there was a poster of notable people who passed away due to the bacteria the weapons left. These people were actors, and major household names. In a way they fought battles, and now their story is told from a different perspective.

Part 2: Art Examples

The Atomic Cowboy the Daze After

This piece is a form of art activism because the American Flag is made up of different groups fighting. The United States can be seen as a way of unity, but this piece shows that it is built on division, war, and death. This shows how corrupt the U.S is, and how it is built on death.

Post War Is Over.

This is a painting with a text, and waves of water in the background. It serves as activism because many may think that life is back to normal since the war is over, but that's not true. Life isn't shallow peaceful waves, and there will be never ending effects of the wat.