Students illustrate effects of poverty around campus
Every year the Art Department, with the help of the art students, create displays around the school to illustrate the effects of poverty. They range from simple to very elaborate, and come from all grades and classes. Most are placed in the big hallways, such as the student center and the hallway outside the chapel. However, they can be found all over the school, and it can even be fun to try and find them all.
These posters are an effective reminder of how privileged we are, and some display statistics on the effects of poverty. One example is the poster done by Emily Burke, ‘21. Hers reads “Because of poverty, 70 million people don’t have access to healthcare & 1.2 million children die because they aren’t immunized.” This poster serves as a reminder of how lucky we are to have healthcare and other such services. “My poster was inspired by how difficult it can be to access proper vaccines and healthcare and how even today there’s not enough attention surrounding that. Proper vaccines and healthcare needed to survive can be ridiculously expensive and can contribute to the cycle of poverty,” Burke said.
Another poster, created by Aela Riley, shows people holding hands all around the world. It also features a Nelson Mandela quote: “Like slavery and apartheid, poverty is not natural. It is man-made and it can be overcome and eradicated by the action of human beings.” This is a powerful reminder of how we as SJC students can work to help people overcome poverty, and empowers people to try and make a difference in the world around them.
Whether it is small things such as participating in the sandwich making next Wednesday, or something large like getting involved with politicians to show them you care about the issues in your city, we can do something to help eradicate poverty.
These posters, done by the SJC students in their art classes, are popular and require more work than one would think. First, all students create a design centered around poverty or a quote about poverty. Then, each student votes for their favorite design within their class. The chosen design is then made into giant poster by the student who drew it with the help of some classmates. Some posters are so complicated that it takes days or even a week to complete, sometimes with work outside of the classroom, too. In the end; however, the poverty posters are some of the most prevalent parts of the SJC Poverty Education Week and everyone remembers them all year.
Most students are big fans of the posters, too. Maddie Breeden ’21 said, “I think they’re great. They’re all so well done and fun to look at. I think everyone really enjoys them too…my friends in art all want to make one but it seems like a lot of work.”
Overall, students and faculty seem to really like the concept and the message of the posters and they’re sure to be continued in the years to come.
