As part of the “Quality Air, Quality Life” theme, the WDC partnered with UT Health’s Air Quality Academy and La Printeria to coordinate a semester of print training with high school students. From the prints produced by the Fall 2018 cohort, one design was chosen by the Earth Day Committee to represent Earth Day 2019. The winning design is titled “The Other Half” and was created by Bianca Perez-Hernandez and Eloy Jacobo, both are with the Good Samaritan Youth Advisory Committee.
The Air Quality Academy highlights the intersection between community, science, and art. Over the course of several weeks, high school students are trained in printmaking to produce art that conveyed the link between the environment and human health. The curriculum kicks-off with presentations from professionals that spoke to a wide array of topics related to air quality: health, energy production, advocacy, transportation and pollution.
The program is an opportunity for students from historically marginalized communities to be exposed to various professionals from health science, advocacy, and art fields. The workshops encourage students to think critically on relevant issues of health and allow them to apply their learning through hands-on printmaking training. Students finish the program with a deeper understanding of how environmental health relates to their daily lives. Participants also develop printmaking techniques that have real labor-value and serve as a means of creative expression.
The Fall 2018 Air Quality Academy closed with a gallery that was installed at the UT Health Dolph Briscoe Jr. Library, 7703 Floyd Curl Dr, San Antonio, TX. The gallery was on display December 10, 2018 thru January 14, 2019. The official gallery opening took place on December 13, 2018 from 6:00 – 8:00 pm with light appetizers, refreshments, and an appearance from Councilwoman Ana Sandoval. The event served as an opportunity for students and families to be recognized for their commitment and be exposed to a premier training and research facility.
About the Art Work:
The Other Half
The colors that are included in the piece were chosen to add a creative state of mind instead of repeating colors that would typically be used. One side is a tree simply representing the kind we usually see and the other side represents industrial factories. While there are many artistic representations demonstrating the effects that pollution can have on air quality, this piece is created to show both sides of what our world has come to be. In the end, we all take part in polluting our world. This piece was not created to blame the industries who take part in polluting the environment, but to make all aware of the other half; a side many choose to ignore.