Social Realism 2012 Art Exhibit

Social Realism poster created during the Great Depression as part of the Works Progress Administration (WPA).

Hofstra University
Center for Civic Engagement
Office of the Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs
the Hofstra Cultural Center
and the Art Education Program

present the

Hofstra University, in conjunction with the Presidential debate on October 16th, has afforded the arts created by Long Island youth an invaluable opportunity to make connections between the political and the artistic domains of expression.

View Photos

Susan Goetz Zwirn, Associate Professor of Art Education invited middle and high school students, from Nassau and Suffolk Counties, through their art teachers, to submit works of art for an exhibition to broaden and enrich political debate. Students were invited to participate in Hofstra’s Expressions in Democracy program by submitting art works that convey what they consider to be the challenging issues facing the United States today in a personally meaningful way.

We know what the 1930s looked and felt like largely because artists – as many as 5,000 – were employed by the US government to travel the country and depict what they saw. This artwork came to be known as Social Realism. We requested that Long Island students become the Social Realists of 2012.

The exhibited art works can be viewed in three locations: exterior and interior lobbies of the Axinn Library and the first floor of Hagedorn Hall. The exhibit will be up until October 18th. The contest winners will be provided with gift certificates from Dick Blick Art Materials.

Below are the contest winners:

Raquel Veliz Gonzales
Soldier Children
Teacher: Barbara Evans
Roosevelt High School
First Place

Ericka Garcia
Legalization 4 All (Occupy Wall Street)
Teacher: Heather Evans
East Hampton High School
Second Place

Cynthia Lau
Street Life
Teacher: Beth Atkinson
Hicksville High School
Third Place

Amanda Pathmanathan
Ms Regina Nicholas
Farmingdale High School
Honorable Mention

Miguel Sison
The Dream Act
Teacher: Paulette Lowe
South High School
Valley Stream
Honorable Mention

Kristine Jao
…And Justice for All
Teacher: Beth Atkinson
Hicksville High School
Honorable Mention

There will be a small ceremony held for the student artists, their families and art teachers on October 15.

And a very special thank you to the art teachers of Nassau and Suffolk counties who stimulated their young people to create the art for this exhibit.