To Make the World a Better Place
By Teresa Hung
"What would make the world a better place for you, your family,
your community or the larger global family?" To Make the World
a Better Place (not associated with Michael Jackson), started by two
artists, encourages anyone from ages 5-21 to submit their answers
to this question in a creative visual arts presentation. The entries
are then considered for a public art exhibition, with the intent of
presenting a "broad cross-section of imagery, viewpoints, and
concerns." Some of these entries are posted on the site in the
"Images" section, all of which are photographs (color or
b&w), and some of which include lines of text that describe individuals'
current concerns and viewpoints of the world and their hopes for the
future.
All of the photographs shown in the "Images" section seem
to tell a story of some sort, a story about a place, a person, or
a certain way of looking at something. In other words, all of the
pictures are interesting-each has a very personal touch to it. One
boy writes about his feelings about togetherness and family next to
his picture of a group of ducks waddling into a pond against a background
of a line of skyscrapers. Another girl has chosen to submit a picture
of a couple embracing each other with what looks like an ocean behind
them. And the first line next to the photo reads "Security."
Another boy asks "Why are you here?" along with many other
questions, next to his picture of a silhouette (himself perhaps) against
a clear blue sky. A six-year-old girl has taken a black and white
photo of a playground in which two children swing on a tire next to
an empty jungle gym. A nineteen-year-old girl has chosen a black and
white picture in which you can see from behind a little girl walking
down an empty, snow-plowed road. She calls it "That Life,"
and goes on to say that "You have to understand, Not everyone's
the same…There is many suggestions I could recommend , But who
am I to say…"
It appears that the organization runs some sort of mentorship program
that visits schools and youth community centers, through which youths
are paired with "creative professionals." The program is
sponsored by Nikon Inc. and some other photo/camera companies. The
organization aims to help these youths realize their creative and
personal visions and build self-esteem through their participation
in presenting their work publicly and to raise awareness of global
and personal issues through discussion and exploration with their
mentors. I think that the online showcase certainly displays works
of creativity and personal expression. It is interesting enough that
I feel I should recommend that whoever reads this to check it out,
especially if you are interested in the variety of personal opinions
and concerns of young people today. And especially if you would like
to see some creatively composed photographs.
As interesting as the ideas and intentions behind this organization
are, though, I'm not sure about its current status and activity, since
the most recent entry form you can get from the site is for a 1999
exhibition. Also, if anyone is still maintaining the site, I would
tell him/her that I'd liked to see more entries on the site (there
were only 13 out of around 100 entries chosen for each exhibition).