Skylar Fein- Brings to Light What Some May Consider Dark

When I went to the first Genius Loci of this semester, not to mention the first Genius Loci that I have ever attended, I did not know what to expect. The artist lecturer was Skylar Fein. I had no idea what to expect. I had never heard of Skylar Fein. He showed pictures and videos from different times and different countries of protests that escalated from students at a university and spread from teachers to businessmen and beyond. He showed how a mere college student that may feel like their opinions do not matter can matter and possibly change things and make a difference. While listening to his interesting and very informative and at times inspiring lecture, I kept expecting for him to connect what he had been bringing to light, for example how art can impact and change the world around it no matter how dark someone might feel the situation is. Well, the lecture ended and I still did not know what kind of art he created.



After Googling Skylar Fein, I found that he made a lot of graphic art. His works are exhibited in many galleries and museums from New Orleans to New York. He "came to the Crescent City six weeks before Hurricane Katrina to house-sit for an acquaintance in the movie industry. Returning to the flood-ravaged city after his evacuation, Fein, who is from the Bronx in New York, found a certain beauty in the wreckage, especially the aged wood coated with layers of cracked paint." He took a dark event in history, a tragedy to many and turned a lot of the rubble in to works of art. He ended up selling a lot of his artwork and his art career took off. At the end of the lecture, Skylar Fein told us that he believed that "artists are removing what really 'gets them' from their artwork". He said to "go for that scary thing" and to "go through that vulnerability, especially while you are students and have the support of your teachers". My favorite statement that he said at the end of the lecture was that "graphic design is important in social movements". That statement made me feel that possibly one day something that I created through graphic design could actually be important and that felt pretty good.