Essay on Kimberly Drew

 Karen Osorio

Professor Cacoilo 

Acts of Resistance 

22 March 2023

    In Kimberly Drew’s “This is What I Know About Art” she had a quote that really spoke to me. It said, “after a few months of research, I decided that I should start my own blog. (I am still at a loss for where I got the confidence to do so, but I am forever grateful to the version of myself that said yes. Yes to learning more about Black art. Yes to making the things that I knew I needed to see in the world)" (Pg. 20-21). This remark made me think of a period when I was very passionate about writing. For my poems, I created a blog and a social media website. But because I thought it wasn't getting the credit it deserved, I was quickly demoralized. I used to think that if something didn't receive praise, it must not have been very good. I gave up because I felt there was no purpose in continuing if nothing was happening. However, after reading Drew's account of how she started a blog on Black artists and how she is now collaborating with them, I am dissuaded from that notion. As an artist, as well as an activist, you should just continue to practice your skill consistently because you never know who might be watching. Allow some time.

     Furthermore, she goes on to mention, "I knew I was changing at the Met, but I knew in my heart that all of that effort could be better utilized at a grassroots level" (pg.58). I was drawn to this quote as well because, if there's one thing I love, it's when talent acknowledges talent. Drew realized she was at a place that was no longer useful to her. She didn't feel at ease at the Met because there was no room for diversity or minorities, either. It was time to go on, follow her own path, and seize new, more fulfilling opportunities. This made me think to myself, what I could do in order to expand not only my beliefs, but my opportunities.

    In the article, “How Memes are making Protest Art More Powerful “, it’s written that “the value of meme 

protest art lies not in the authenticity of the image, but in its undermining of the original source and the 

assertion of a different truth.” I thought this quote resonated a lot with my original thought about what this 

article was trying to get at, which is: protest art in the form of memes drive people to be drawn to the original 

photo or source used. They become intrigued by the message yes, but they also want to know the original context

 in which the meme was created. It also reminded me of this artwork I saw once regarding a courthouse in Texas 

that was confiscating women's tampons, but there was nothing being done about open carry with guns. 

Courtroom Texas Controversy (2022)

     Similarly, in Chapter 2: Process the Art of activism it’s mentioned that “as artists and activists, we frequently self-censor our ideas because they aren’t clever or creative enough” (pg. 58). I found this quote particularly compelling because often our fear of failure or infamy hinders us from creating and this can block us from many blessings. This made me think about how fear of judgement could also hinder artists from creating. A prime example of this, to me, would be toxic or fragile masculinity. Many men avoid doing things or behaviors that are deemed to be feminine. This can trickle into career paths, relationships, goals, their craft, etc. 

 Ryan Stephens Pretty Masculine Art Print (2022)

Works Cited 

Drew, Kimberly. This Is What I Know About Art. Penguin Young Readers Group, 2020.

Duncombe, Steve. Lambert, Steve. The Art of Activism. OR Books, 2021.

Fison, Lizzie. “How Memes Are Making Protest Art More Powerful.” Artsy, 7 Feb. 2017, https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-memes-making-protest-art-powerful.