Art inspires forum on discrimination
When an artist creates a painting with a message, does the message move you to social action?
George Rothacker’s “Social Conflicts” painting titled “Women’s Rights” evoked such questions at the Media Fellowship House, kicking off the monthly forum, “Art Speaks.” Rothacker’s work will be a featured at this ongoing forum. People are invited to participate in discussions of issues that are prevalent in society today. Today the featured painting will be “Discrimination.”
For Rothacker it was a chance to explain how he went about this series and how he chooses his subjects. For the participants it was a chance to dig deeper, exploring the lives of the women in the painting and what values they attribute to them and what would make their selves act for change in society as they did. Rothacker states on his website why he painted this series: “Over 200 years additional amendments were added that have curtailed or expanded personal freedoms, but by and large, the Bill of Rights set a standard unprecedented in the world for guaranteeing freedoms to all people. Despite the Bill of Rights our society has struggled with moral and human rights conflicts throughout its history. My new series of paintings explores these conflicts and provides a non-judgmental glimpse into the contrasts existing in our very diverse society.”
Rothacker’s paintings explore women’s rights, gay rights, religious freedom, prohibition, discrimination and censorship.
In “Women’s Rights” he chose Gloria Steinem, Rosa Parks, Molly Brown and Eleanor Roosevelt with images of protesting women of the Women’s Suffrage movement.
“I wanted the women to be individuals but be together. Roosevelt is electric. She looks demure in this painting. She wasn’t demure. She was a woman of her time but always stood up for what she believed in. She made Franklin Roosevelt realize his social conscience ... She was an incredible lady. It’s more than women’s rights, its human rights. Rosa Parks crossed the borders of women’s rights. She did what women didn’t do at that time — she disobeyed,” said Rothacker.
“I am not saying this is my opinion on women’s rights, I am saying these women are strong and make their own statement. There were people who were against them at that time. There were people who didn’t like Eleanor Roosevelt or Gloria Steinman,” said Rothacker.
Sayre Dixon asked how he choose his subjects.
“I find it frustrating. I have a contest for the kids and I want them to choose someone beyond Martin Luther King Jr. I want them to think of some other people in the African-American community. Why Rosa Parks?” asked Dixon.
Rothacker agreed that people do question him about his choices. He talked about the difficulty of choosing the subjects for his paintings for the Writer’s Series.
“You have only one chance to get it right. The Writers series is very difficult. I never finished the series and went onto something else ... I chose writers that affected me. I was not affected by Maya Angelou like someone else was. It would have been hypocritical. I was like Ralph EllisonI had the same struggles growing up. When I read his books I was blown away,” said Rothacker.
“I painted Carol Oates, and Eudora Welty. These were people who affected me when growing up. You are making a decision of what is honestly in you and place it. How contrive can it be and if it’s going to be contrive is it going to be right and honest? You make selections based on that,” said Rothacker.
The discussion moved to activism which was depicted by the painting and the struggles of movement.
“The only person who had the vote was the male property owner. Women would lose their land when their husband died. Economics are a big thing. Women just marched on Washington just like the women in your painting,” said Dixon.
But Rothacker disagreed, believing that wealth does not necessary equate power.
“Power is not just wealth. Gandhi had power and he affected great change. The power of the arts is a way more powerful. Christ had power in the way he lived. The truths about him and the women’s the stories; the power has lasted,” said Rothacker.
“I was comfortable too long. With this series some parts are more relevant now than they were then especially the Bill of Rights, censorship and religious freedom,” said Rothacker, reflecting on his own activism with his art.