Express Yourself Milwaukee inc. Why Art...

Heidi Mueller-Smith, on Express Yourself Milwaukee's latest blog, asks "Why Art As A Response To Violence?"  Well......

.......In a world infected by the power of toxic fear and chronic greed our social system has lost its responsibility to the sanctity of human life. War is more important than education. Ownership and profit margins are more important than health care, food, clothing and shelter. Consequently, disparity occurs. Hearts are broken and minds are lost. Poverty breeds hopelessness, low self-esteem, anger and and fatal self destruction. Human relationships lay in ruin.

I am a visual artist and since my earliest years art has served as a safe place to reveal my scary feelings and as a place to discover hope. As I have grown into adulthood I've realized that the condition of this world and my perceived powerlessness in it has caused me to feel rage and anger. Making art has taught me that my anger can be constructive when I channel its powerful energy into actions of peace and love. Art is vital to our healing as a broken people. Not only can it restore us as a community also it brings us closer to and makes us more aware of the "self" inside each one of us where our power to change begins.

Recently, I have been given the opportunity to be a volunteer with Express Yourself Milwaukee -EYM inc., a non-profit organization that uses art, music, dance, writing and many other expressive medium to clean the wounds and heal the pain that so MANY of our youth endure while living in this infected society. The people of EYM are reaching out to those who walk the neighborhood dodging bullets, and to those who have lost family and friends to violence and drugs and to those who are victims of abuse, injustice and disenfranchisement, and to our youths who are lost and are already familiar with incarceration. It is not effective to pity the underserved population in our community. Only in solidarity will we mend the relationships necessary to make real change. 

EYM in itself is a work of art. It is an action of peace and love in response to the condition of an ugly, angry world. EYM nurtures the power within us to make our lives better. As we become better people the world becomes a better place. I am fortunate to work and to grow with Express Yourself Milwaukee and I encourage any and everyone to visit www.expressyourselfmilwaukee.org.

Put the word on the street that EYM inc. is on the map!

peace