IC Canvas
The IC Canvas is a place for our student leaders to share their art with the greater Saint Mary's community. We are passionate about social justice, and this sentiment is reflected in the art we create.
Student Work
Written by Lenin Arroliga Kortum O’Mahony, (he/his)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
I was adopted when I was 6 years old to a wonderful family, but before that I spent most of my time in and out of foster homes, my biological mother was unable to raise or care for me and my siblings due to her drug addictions. This poem reflects on my pain dealing with the struggles of being without a mother for so long, and that it never truly feels the same knowing that relationship was lost.
Title: Ragged Doll, Dragged Queen
Artist: Ojaswi Sharma, Class of 2022
LINK: RAGGED DOLL, DRAGGED QUEEN
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Ojaswi Sharma is a first-year international student from Chandigarh, India. She is a double major in Politics and English. She is a part of the debate team, The Lounge, and also works at the Intercultural Center as well as the Center for Writing Across the Curriculum. Her interests include film, books, photography, food, and social justice. This poem tries to put into words some of the complicated thoughts she, like all of us, has about her family.
Title: to and fro
Author: Simone Temple, Class of 2020
Link: to and fro
FROM THE AUTHOR:
I'm in a real state of flux in my life. I was motivated to write this piece because I am trying to learn how to wade into that fluctuation and uncertainty. I am trying to be comfortable with "and's". Writing about my past and my present allowed me to more consciously exist in "the and".
Through this poem, I wanted to convey the parts of where I am from that I love and want to hold to, but also the parts that I feel differently about now that I am older. The title "to and fro" represents how I am still figuring a lot of things out. The poem is a combination of acknowledging where I am from and where I want to go.
This piece is meaningful to me because it is the first piece I've written in months. I went through a long period of time where I didn't trust myself and my ability to do a lot of things, writing included. This piece means a lot to me because in the act of writing it, I not only embraced the fact that writing is never perfect and it should not be, but I was also reminded about why I write.
Title: Nopal
Artist: Annaliese Martinez, Class of 2021
FROM THE ARTIST:
This painting of a nopal is a representation of what it means to me to endure the experience of being Mexican-American. The nopal is covered in thorns and undergoes harsh conditions, but can still survive as well as heal and provide nourishment. The colors and style of the painting are inspired by the Mexican artwork and bright colors in my house and my grandma’s kitchen. I wanted to paint something that represented not only my individual experience, but also my family’s generational growth.
Title: Prophecies
Author: Tatiana Novak, Class of 2020
Link: Prophecies
From the Author:
This poem relates to two of my identities. The identity of someone who has been plagued by mental health issues for years along with the identity of being a survivor of trauma.
Title: Minoritized Greatness
Author: Gabriel Gutierrez-Aragon, Class of 2019
Link: "Minoritized Greatness"
FROM THE AUTHOR:
“Minoritized Greatness” describes the awakening I had my first year in college. it was not until I came to Saint Mary’s that I began to comprehend the historic and structural systems of oppression I was born into.
My parents are immigrants, one of many groups who were exploited, criminalized, and dehumanized as they built this nation. I grew up hearing about the “American Dream,” but have come to see it as the motivation that, like heaven, promises a brighter tomorrow to those who cannot outrun their sorrow. Poverty is an inevitable externality of the systems we put in place. We are divided, but in the struggle for equity, everyone has a place.
My friend once said that we are both a drop in the ocean and the ocean in a drop. I believe it is important to have a strong sense of self and be purposeful in the way we live because we are always impacting the world and, in times of injustice, neutrality enables oppression.
Title: Shatter
Artist: Monica Daggett, Class of 2018
FROM THE ARTIST:
"This is a stained clay sculpture of a female form that was shattered by a hammer. Clay is the medium that I prefer to use, as the process is extraordinarily tactile, and the clay takes on a life of its own. I prefer three dimensional structures because of the layers of perspective that manage to break through. This piece was a sort of self portrait after I had to quit performing with my dance company due to persistent illness. I felt like I was coming apart at the seams. This piece acts as an important lens into one of the darkest parts of my life."
Title: Underbite
Choreographed by Kathryn Carero, Class of 2017
Video: Underbite
FROM THE CHOREOGRAPHER:
My piece is a modern dance piece, titled "Underbite." This piece was my senior project for my Dance minor. My piece explores themes of intersectionality, women's identity and communal identity, and the idea of reclamation. This work is meaningful to me because of the process through which I created it. Working collaboratively with my dancers and watching my vision slowly take shape was an intensely difficult and emotional process, but was ultimately so joyful and rewarding.
Title: Violet Violence; To Whom I Grieve For
Author: Katherine Manley, Class of 2017
Link: "Violet Violence"
‘Violet Violence’ was composed in the midst of many betrayals. It hopes to illustrate that the best revenge for tiny hands and bad sex is to take heartbreak and turn it into art.
Link: "To Whom I Grieve For"
This piece illustrates my own difficult feelings regarding my privileged identities and the often misguided attempts by the liberal elites of our country to superficially create a sense of community within our national narrative. The specific example I wrote this in response to was Kendall Jenner's daft and narrow Pepsi commercial. I chose to write this in the form of spoken word because it is the medium in which I am most familiar and comfortable writing in.
This piece hopes to convey a call of action to white liberal women, and the specific responsibilities and privileges we hold in the Trump administration.
This piece is meaningful to me because it reflects my ever evolving relationship to my own identities, and how I grow more aware of ways in which I may productively asses and utilize my privilege and work towards being a better ally and social justice advocate.
Title: The World is Beautiful...?
Artist: Leslie Montaño, Class of 2016
Video: The World is Beautiful...?
FROM THE ARTIST:
This piece is an experimental art film created to look at the world in a different way. At first glance, everything seems colorful and bright, but sometimes we have to really see what's under the surface rather than just looking. I chose this art form because it was a unique way to capture the different parts of everyday life that sometimes go overlooked.
The purpose of this piece is to remind people to really see because seeing also means listening and being aware. This piece plays on the idea of color and "colorblindness" and challenging the viewer to go beyond the images. This piece is meaningful to me because it is a message that continues to circulate in the world, especially today. My hope is that this piece brings awareness and challenges people to question their own perspectives."