Artist Statement.

On the very first day at the beginning of the semester, our final projects were introduced. I’ll admit that I was a little intimidated. It was only the first class! It had only been in session for 30 minutes, and we were already talking about a finale for the next sixteen weeks of work. Talk about putting on the pressure.

Despite my intimidation, I started thinking about what I wanted to accomplish for the final project. Through observing and listening to other classmates, as well as insight about the foster care system through Kids Matter, Inc., I decided that I wanted to focus on stereotypes. At this time, I had not narrowed down my topic by what sort of stereotypes I wanted to deal with; I had just decided that stereotypes was a subject that interested me enough to stick with for the entire semester.

I think my impulse to explore the idea of stereotypes and its relation to the foster care system came from my own subjective thoughts about foster care youth. Initially, I think I had it in my mind when I found out that I was going to be working with a foster care program that I was going to be working with a bunch of rowdy, troublemakers. It seemed that I already had a predisposition about foster care, and the people who were placed into foster care. However, the more I started to dig into my thought process, and the research I had found, my ideas really changed. I started to wonder why I initially related trouble and foster care together. I wanted to explore where my predispositions came from; why I had negative thoughts about foster care without really having a basis or justification for my subjectivity. It takes a lot of courage for an artist to admit a flawed opinion. And it takes even more courage to actually explore the real answer to the problem.

When I think about where my predisposition about foster care youth came from, television and movies pop into my head. I have seen numerous movies where foster care youth have been portrayed in a negative light, whether it is troublemakers, bullies, or even drug addicts. I’ve never had a personal experience with foster care, and I have never known anyone in foster care, so I was really basing my own opinions on the closest thing I could relate to: the media. The media has sensationalized the view of many foster care adolescents establishing stereotypes amongst the general public. Even news related material that tend to focus more on negative stories related to foster care youth versus positive stories contribute to the overwhelming amount of stereotypes that these youth face daily.

This project has really helped me as an artist in understanding where the ideas that are already in my head came from. I found a problem with my way of thinking, and through researching and addressing the issue appropriately, I corrected my though process. Reading the perspective of current or former foster care youth that have been victims of these stereotypes helped me understand how my previous opinions were unjustifiable. The only thing I achieved by automatically linking bad behaviors with foster care is just another stereotype that affects these teens.

4.13.2009

Interview with Patti Levy.



Although I was unable to post my first interview with Mr. Lance Jones; I have a second interview that I can publish!

This is a portrait of Patti Levy, a CASA Volunteer through Kids Matter, Inc. The portrait was taken after our interview on April 1, 2009.

"Kids Matter CASA is an organization of volunteers that advocates for abused and neglected children in Milwaukee County Children’s Court. A Court Appointed Special Advocate is an everyday hero like you appointed by the court to independently investigate the cases of these children and advocate for what is best for each child with the goal of a loving, safe and permanent home"

Mission Statement:

"The mission of the Kids Matter CASA program is to be a voice for abused, neglected and exploited children who are under legal protection of the Milwaukee County Circuit Court, Children’s Court Division. Kids Matter CASA advocates for the rights of these children to grow up in safe, nurturing and permanent homes."

Kids Matter CASA was established in 2001. The organization currently has trained over a hundred volunteers that have assisted over one hundred and fifty children. CASA volunteers work with child protective services, the legal system, and community resources serving as the child's adovocate in the court.
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