Shaping Resilience

Description of the video:

The Grunwald Gallery has invited four emerging artists to create images as part of the College of Arts and Sciences Themester of Resilience. The images have appeared on billboards around Bloomington in September and October 2021.  Resilience is more important than ever in the face of extreme climate change, the pandemic and other threats, and this project is a way to communicate via young voices a resilient path forward. 

Invited artists are photographer Wells Douglas, fashion designer Daisy May, painter Annabelle Schafer and graphic designer Christine Wang. The artists are recent graduates or current students of the Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture + Design. Each artist has considered the idea of resilience differently, with images touching upon the importance of human relationships, appreciation of our natural environment, ideas of physical resilience, and gratefulness for scientific breakthroughs.

B. Wells Douglas is currently a student at Indiana University receiving his Bachelor of fine arts in photography. Wells uses an archive of vernacular 35mm slides to construct digital images. “The Rubble Risers” focuses on two of the most resilient things in our world: children and nature. Our actions now will greatly affect the world our children will live in and whatever that future looks like, the coming generations and nature will have to adjust.

Rebloomed Design was started in 2017 by Daisy May. The name Rebloomed Design comes from the suggestion of Daisy May's father, who taught her how to sew when she was 15 years old. She recently graduated from Indiana University with her bachelor’s degree in Fashion Design where she blossomed into a designer well versed in technical and creative skills. Bold color, sustainable textiles, and entropy are the roots of her design philosophy. “Rebloom” depicts the artist, Daisy May, freefalling in the clouds. The garments depicted in the piece were constructed from discarded textiles. The fashion industry is one of the world’s greatest polluters: less than 1% of clothing made is recycled. Humans need to rethink the way things have been done, know that hardships are inevitable, but keep looking for a more sustainable future.

Annabelle Schafer holds a BFA in Painting and a BA in Art History from Indiana University. “You mean the world to me” depicts the fact that we are designed for togetherness; it is critical to our very existence that we can connect with each other. She has observed, catalogued, and experienced first-hand the tenacious innovation of people to seek out ways to connect safely during the pandemic. These parking lot get-togethers and backyard dinner parties are testament to the resilience of the human spirit. Her work stands as a physical testimony and an alternate history of the pandemic displayed through a lens of playful humor and an attentive, honest hand.

Christine Wang is an Asian American who grew up in Taiwan. She has a Master of Fine Arts degree in Graphic design from Indiana University. As a designer, she is fundamentally interested in the designer’s ability to highlight social issues. “Vaccines for Victory” is a piece that the artist hopes will make people feel safe and not afraid to take the vaccine. The syringe turns into a rocket, representing that the vaccine is one small step to health. She hopes that every human in the world can see a better future.

This project was produced and sponsored by Grunwald Gallery of Art with support from the College of Arts and Sciences Themester of Resilience.