By: Laura Nunez
Posted: Sept 11, 2020 11:00PM CST
Denton- UNT artist alumni have raised nearly 1,600 dollars from the North Texas Artist Auction started by Mariah Tyler and Jake Dockins.
Art has been a common feature amidst the recent social unrest and global pandemic.
Following the death of George Floyd, there were portraits and murals of his image on buildings across the nation.
When Europe went into lockdown due to coronavirus restrictions, children painted rainbows on paper and pressed them up against windows as a symbol of hope for better days to come.
UNT alum artist Daniela Cruz says art can be reflective of the time in which it is made.
“We as artists respond to the things around us whether it's conscious or subconscious, and I think that lends itself to, you know, having these conversations and especially now with COVID, right, like we're all isolated in different ways,” she said. “And so the ways in which we are engaging vary however, art can still serve as that bridge to help people communicate, share, and dialogue about tough things,”said Cruz.
Cruz contributed a sculpture she created in her senior year at UNT.
“A lot of Americans and just people you know, globally right are having a wakeup call with regards to social justice issues and it's something that even as a by BIPOC, it's like, you know, I, I have still internalized a lot of these things, and I've been kind of indoctrinated into a lot of these systems,” she said. “So, it's like, what are the things that we each have to do in order to kind of wake up from this?”
UNT alum artist Brionna Watkins says she is proud of her friends for creating the auction and “using their gifts and talents to, at the very least bring awareness for issues that don’t really get talked about a lot.”
Watkins contributed an original work of art entitled love you to death III, the piece was one of a four-part series created during her junior year at UNT.
“The series overall has like four iterations, but it began and ends with the same concept, which is to really highlight the positive and negative aspects foods played in my family, and really speaks to the generations that it's affected not just me or my mom and my sister, but like generations back And how it's been kind of a safe place and like the safe haven for us, but it's also brought a lot of detriment and grief into my family, into my culture in general, it plays a really big part in my culture and black culture, specifically, positively and negatively,” she said. “I think just in society, food is a major part of the decisions we make and a lot of traditions that a lot of cultures have," said Watkins.
The original work of art and many others will remain available for purchase until the end of the month.
Watkins says she is excited to see her peers actively band together to create a positive social impact.
“I really like the aspect of the North Texas Mutual aid organization, which is kind of a neighborly you donate and give those donations to someone else it's not with a big business or big corporation. It's just neighbors helping neighbors. So, I really like seeing that happen in the world right now,”said Watkins.
All 22 artists that contributed artwork to the auction chose to donate 100% of the proceeds to be split equally among North Texas Mutual Aid, Color of Change, and Mothers Against Police Brutality.
For more information on the auction be sure to visit the North Texas Artists Instagram page.
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