Image via SeeMeBecause on Vimeo
There is a certain feeling of hopelessness that can overcome a person if their narrative is controlled throughout their life. For youth of color in Milwaukee, changing the deep-rooted assumptions of others can feel like an understandably heavy weight to bear. A new art exhibit at Harbor View Plaza (600 E. Greenfield Ave.), however, looks to aid the changing view of youth of color in Milwaukee with “See Me Because,” a multimedia portrait project that looks beyond stereotypes.
“See Me Because” is a project initiated by Art Start, a non-profit organization that reaches underserved youth through creative endeavors. This is the program’s eighth iteration, and the first to be presented in both English and Spanish. Through a year-long program, youth from Milwaukee and New York City, selected through a partnership with Casa Romero Urban Renewal Center, were given access to workshops, interviews and photoshoots to help create art that accurately depicts the narratives around their lives. The goal is to create portraits that defines the identities of families of color and their reality.
“The Art Start Portrait Project challenges the pattern that stereotypes, statistics, and circumstance should determine our youths' existence, or that the identity that society has assigned them will be their one-dimensional reality,” said Johanna de los Santos, Art Start’s executive director via statement. “We believe that each individual has an autonomous and creative spirit which is inherently healing and liberating. With the freedom to explore, design and imagine oneself, the courage to believe, and access to the resources to create, we can profoundly transform how we identify and how we interact with our lives, futures, and each other.”
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“See Me Because” runs from May 26 through July 31 at Harbor View Plaza and is free to attend. You can learn more about the project at SeeMeBecause.org.
