Illumination

2010-03-18T20:29:00.000-07:00

A.A.C.'s New Blog Address

Art as an Agent for Change works its hardest to bring you the best Art for Change in the world. To do this in a more convenient and less confusing way, we bring you our new blog address, A.A.C. Shutdown. We'll be posting new stories about our endeavors and covering the work of other artists who are reshaping the world just like us. So, subscribe today and stay updated on our collective quest to make this world a better place. Art-- it's what you make!

2009-05-18T15:31:00.000-07:00

Poetry and performance came together once again as Art as An Agent for Change held its second Poetic Notions this April.

The event's purpose was to bring together poets from colleges all over Georgia. The youth slam was held April 16th and the collegiate slam was on April 18th. Arshay Jones walked away with $100 as youth poet of the year. And this year's collegiate winners were Chris Dixon and Sharod, who won $200.

Winners Chris & Sharod performing

Youth Poet of the Year, Arshay Jones

Here's what Chris and Sharod had to say about the event:

A.A.C.: How did you come up with the idea for your poem?
C & S: Well, that particular poem is actually a song on our upcoming album. We just took it and flipped it for that occasion, as we often like to do.

A.A.C.: Had you been in other poetry contests?
C & S: Not as a duo, but separately, we've done our share.

A.A.C.: Did you think you would win?
C & S: We felt pretty confident about our piece, subject content and all, so we just hoped for the best.

A.A.C.: What was going through your head when you were announced the winner?
C & S: ...Money in the BANK!!! lol

A.A.C.:How long have you been writing and performing your poetry?
C&S: Separately we've been writing and performing for six years; collectively as a duo, just over a year.

A.A.C.: Have you won any other contests?
C & S: No, this is the first (of many, we hope)

A.A.C.: Do you have any advice for aspiring performance poets?
C & S: Your message is just that, a message, so convey it to the best of your abilities.

A.A.C. with youth poetry slam winner and runners-up

Paul G. with Poetic Notions winner

2009-05-17T22:39:00.001-07:00

On a Farm

I never thought I’d see the day with a tractor comin’ my way… Believe me when I say, “I’m building movements!!!” This past weekend (May 15-17) Tameka “Floetic Prodigy” Dean, Britnee “Superwoman” Richardson, and Paul Ayo ventured to the Georgia Peace and Justice Coalition's: Be the Change Youth Convergence. The conference was a three day event that featured progressive organizations from all over the state of Georgia and a little group from the town of Milledgeville, A.A.C. (Art as an Agent for Change). The overall goal of the convergence was educating youth about effective activism in their community and movement building. The weekend’s grounding text was a speech by Martin Luther King Jr called “Beyond Vietnam,” where King called for eternal hostility to militarism, racism, materialism, and poverty.

A.A.C. was featured twice on the schedule. The first program involved leading a workshop, where participants created PSA’s for the Be the Change Youth Convergence.

The next day A.A.C. performed a poetic showcase featuring Tameka and Paul Ayo. Britnee Richardson was on camera documenting the performance.

Paul Ayo’s Reflection
I didn’t know what to expect when I first made the trek down to Koinonia Farms in Americus, Ga. Koinonia was founded in 1942 by Millard Koinonia is an intentional Christian community founded by two couples, Clarence and Florence Jordan and Martin and Mabel England in 1942 (http://www.koinoniapartners.org/History/brief.html). The farm was an excellent mix of simple living combined with a mission that embraces the spirit of communion rather than dominion over one’s surroundings. I embraced this spirit, and it gave me a chance to spit a few poems to goats. They enjoyed “Circles” and baa’d at the end.

On a more serious note, the experience was eye opening and established a conduit for me and A.A.C. to connect with other progressive organizations. I met folks from the Ruckus Society, Georgia Peace and Justice Coalition, Alterna Community, UGA, Georgia State, Lagrange College, North Carolina, Chicago, California, and the list goes on. Attending the conference further imbued my drive to educate, inspire, and entertain, and being the change is the little spark that shines the way.

2009-04-12T17:18:00.000-07:00

As you know, A.A.C. is holding it's second edition of Poetic Notions this Saturday. What you may not know is the definition of a poetry slam. Well, let me help you out...

What is a poetry slam anyway?
Basically, a poetry slam is a competition where individuals perform poetry. The poets usually read or recite their own work, but not always. The performances are then scored by judges.

Poetry slams were founded in the mid-80s as a way to get people interested in poetry readings. It has since developed into an international art form that emphasizes the audience’s involvement and poetic excellence.

Where did it come from?
According to slampapi.com, in 1985, construction worker and poet Marc Smith (slampapi) established a poetry reading series at the Get Me High Lounge, a Chicago jazz club. He started it as a way to “breathe life into the open mike poetry format.”

The series’ placed importance on performance and laid the groundwork for a style which would ultimately be spread all over. The owner of Green Mill, another Chicago jazz club agreed to let Smith host a weekly poetry cabaret on the club’s slow Sunday nights. The Uptown Poetry Slam was born July 25, 1986.

“Smith drew on baseball and bridge terminology for the name and instituted the show’s basic structure of an open mike, guest performers and a competition. The Green Mill evolved into the Mecca for performance poets and the Uptown Poetry Slam still continues.”

From The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Slam Poetry: “Slam poetry is the brainchild of Marc Smith (So What!), and the blue collar intellectual eccentrics who crammed into the Get Me High Lounge on Monday nights from November 1984 to September 1986 for a wide-open poetry experience. Finger-poppin’ hipster Butchie (James Dukaris) owned the place and allowed anything to happen, and it usually did. The experimenters in this new style of poetry presentation gyrated, rotated, spewed, and stepped their words along the bar top, dancing between the bottles, bellowing out the backdoor, standing on the street or on their stools, turning the west side of Chicago into a rainforest of dripping whispers or a blast furnace of fiery elongated syllables, phrases, snatches of scripts, and verse that electrified the night.”

The general rules for poetry slams are:
Each poem has to be an original work by the poet.
Each poet gets three minutes [and a ten-second grace period] to read one poem. If the poet goes over, points will be taken away from the total score.
Poets can’t use props, costumes or musical instruments.
Of the scores the poet received from the five judges, the high and low scores are dropped and the middle three added together; this gives the poet a total score of 1-30.

**Note that rules vary from slam to slam.**

But as slammaster Allan Wolf stated, “The points are not the point; the point is poetry.”

**Don't forget to check out A.A.C. and the other poets at Poetic Notions, Saturday, April 18 at 7 PM. Tickests are $3 in advance and $5 at the door. It will be held at the MSU Lounge at Georgia College & State University. For more info, contact A.A.C. at aacshutdown@gmail.com.

Check out the facebook event here

2009-04-03T19:47:00.000-07:00

Profile interview with very talented artist, Keith Rosemond.

Keith Rosemond II 22yrs old, Double major in Illustration and Graphic Design, Senior at Savannah College of Art and Design, www.keithrosemond.com

A.A.C.: When and how did you discover that art is what you wanted to pursue?

Keith Rosemond: Like a lot of artists, I’ve been drawing ever since I can remember, so I guess it was always assumed that art was going to be my profession [in] some way or another. My father is actually the person who started my interest in drawing because he would sometimes sketch and doodle in his free time.

A.A.C.: What kind of art do you do?

K.R.: It’s really hard to separate different types of art, so I guess the best way to describe it is to say I create 2D illustrations using traditional mediums such as watercolor, ink and pencil. I also create more text-based graphic design artwork using computer programs such as Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign.

A.A.C: Who and what influence your work?

K.R.: I absolutely love comic books and cartoons; they are where I find a lot of motivation to create artwork. I think it’s simply because they really stretch the imagination of the reader and viewer. In these forms of artwork, anything is possible, and I love that. More traditional forms of artwork that influence me are African Art, African-American art and Japanese prints. These last three influences are very evident in my style of illustration.

A.A.C.: Who in the art world inspires you?

K.R.: In the world of comic books and cartoons: Eichiro Ida, Masashi Kisimoto, Ikeno, Arthur Adams, Lesean Thomas, Eric Canete and Bryan Hitch are a few artist that stick out in my mind. In the illustration world: James Jean, Yuko Shimizu and Sam Weber are great! Fine artists Maurice Evans and Kadir Nelson really inspire me, and Japanese printmakers Kuniyoshi and Hokusai are simply amazing!

A.A.C.: What is it that you ultimately want to achieve?

K.R.: That is a great question, which I don’t know the answer to, even though I feel I should. In the grand scheme of things, I guess it’s to use my gift to fulfill God’s plan for my life.

A.A.C.: What has been your greatest accomplishment(s) so far?

K.R.: Probably this interview (lol) I don’t think anyone has ever wanted to ask me questions about myself to put on the Web from everyone to see, so this is pretty cool.

A.A.C.: What have been some obstacles you've faced?

K.R.: Finding my market and audience in the art world and being able to attack successfully.

A.A.C.: How did you get through them?

K.R.: I’m currently sending out postcards with my work to potential clients to see who I get a response from.

A.A.C.: What advice do you have for aspiring artists?

K.R.: Keep creating and make sure you have the big three: Talent, Tenacity and Targeting (the ability to find you market).

Check out more of Keith's work at www.keithrosemond.com

2009-03-02T18:12:00.000-08:00

by Jamie Fleming

Booty, ass, donk, tush-whatever you call it, the butt is here to stay.

And the butt is now so trendy that it has many songs dedicated to it and is one body part that receives the most enhancement. Dr. Anthony Griffin, a prominent plastic surgeon and recurring participant on the popular reality show, Extreme Makeover, says requests for his original Brazilian Butt Lift Surgery have surpassed all other surgeries, in spite of it’s $15,000+ price tag, according to Bootyful World’s website.

Bootyful World, a 25-minute documentary created by Avital Levy “explores mainstream culture’s growing fixation on the butt.” Although society appears to be moving towards new, more open-minded beauty standards, the film asks if this is actually liberation or solely another mold we are forced into.

Levy created the film in graduate school at the University of Southern California about three years ago. She was in a class focusing on documentaries and had to produce a documentary film.

“I came up with this idea, trying to get a laugh, and then it really came into an idea,” she says. “Then a lot of people ended up talking about it, (they) looked into it, and there was really something there.”

Her film concept was given the go-ahead and that’s where the journey began. And as a woman, the booty was something she always conscious of.

“Men can be very vocal sometimes about what they think about you, and when I moved to LA, it was like more and more (were) people focusing on the butt and just making comments,” Levy says.

The film also looks at Sarah Baartman, a South African woman exploited for her very large rear-end at the start of the nineteenth century.

“It’s a documentary about butts and that intrigues a lot of people,” Levy says. “But it’s really about beauty standards and specifically how hip-hop (seems to) influence mainstream American culture and American beauty standards.”

The film process was pretty demanding, according to Levy. Every week they would shoot or edit something; they would then show it in class and have it critiqued. Levy and her crew were only given 15 hours of film, where as most documentaries have around 80. And in addition to the small amount of film, they had to cut the film down to 26 minutes.

“It was a really rigorous process, and it was a lot fun,” she says.

Besides conducting interviews with Dr. Griffin and people on the street, they also filmed Dr. Griffin doing a Brazilian butt lift, scenes from a dance club and a model photo shoot.

The title, Bootyful World, just felt right to Levy.

“For me, it seemed like the right fit,” she says. “Booties can be beautiful; you don’t have to feel embarrassed by what you have, that’s sort of what the title meant for me, but I don’t want to say it’s one way or one meaning because people interpret things differently.”

Levy says that the film’s target audience is Black women, but it does appeal to men as well. (And with a title like that, who could resist?)

“I’m glad that a lot of men watch it because for whatever reason, some of them go in and probably watch it to be like, ‘oh, I might see some women and get to see their bodies,’” she says. “But I think that the good thing about that is men…may get something out of it, which is hopefully a vision of how these women feel about their bodies.”

Levy says that anybody should see the film, with or without a butt.

“I think people should be interested in the film just because it’s kind of something that you don’t talk about,” she says. “I think it speaks to a lot of people and a lot of issues.” ‘

Through the documentary, Levy hopes that people learn to feel better in their own skin and to be more sensitive to others.

“What I’m hoping is that people are open a little more in (their) viewpoints,” she says. “I’m also hoping they enjoy the film and take it seriously in the sense (of) people’s feelings and how people feel about their bodies…but not taking it too seriously; you know, it’s about butts, it’s going to be a little light-hearted and little bit playful. Everybody is going to have their own reaction to it.”

Ultimately, the film explores societal beauty standards and ideals, and it examines the way others view us.

“My main purpose was to question the value we place on how other people perceive us and to some extent, to say whether it’s important to (care) about how other people perceive us,” she says. “The broad purpose is to question the value of how people perceive us.”

A.A.C. is showing Bootyful World at GCSU on March 11 starting at 12:30 P.M. The viewing will be held in the University Banquet Room. For more info, email A.A.C. at aacshutdown@gmail.com

2009-02-02T10:23:00.000-08:00

First Lady disses Black designers?

According to the New York Magazine website, The Black Artists Association is not very happy with First Lady Obama for not wearing clothes by black designers.

Co-founder Amnau Eele, a former runway model, told Women’s Wear Daily (WWD) , “It’s fine and good if you want to be all ‘Kumbaya’ and ‘We Are the World’ by representing all different countries. But if you are going to have Isabel Toledo do the inauguration dress, and Jason Wu do the evening gown, why not have Kevan Hall, B Michael, Stephen Burrows or any of the other black designers do something too?” Eele plans to make a formal appeal to Michelle’s office.

Eele was then asked if maybe Mrs. Obama was looking at the world colorlessly; she said, “It’s one thing to look at the world without color but she had seven slots to wear designer clothes. Why wasn’t she wearing the clothes of a black designer? That was our moment.”
First Lady Obama rocking Isabel
Toledo at the Inauguration.

I don’t think Michelle should have necessarily chosen a black designer, I mean, it’s not like she said ‘I’m going to look at some designs and pick ones by non-black designers.’ It’s really kind of ridiculous if you ask me. She wanted to look fab, she did, the end.

What do you think?

Source: http://nymag.com/daily/fashion/2009/01/michelle_obama_under_fire_for.html

2008-12-05T18:50:00.000-08:00

I recently posted a note on Facebook asking people’s knowledge and opinion of Kwanzaa. I only got a few responses, which I assume is because I posted between Thanksgiving break and finals. But, anyway, of the few people that did respond and a few that I asked, it’s clear that the large majority of people don’t have a clue what Kwanzaa is. So, what is Kwanzaa?

According to the Official Kwanzaa Website, Kwanzaa is an African-American and Pan-African holiday which celebrates family, community and culture. It’s celebrated December 26-January 1. The name comes from the phrase matunda ya kwanza, which means ‘first fruits’ in Swahili.

Kwanzaa began in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga during the Black Freedom Movement. One reason the holiday was created was to reaffirm and bring back our African culture roots; secondly, it was to act as a repeated communal celebration to reiterate the connection between us as a people. Finally, it was designed to introduce the Nguzo Saba, better known as the Seven Principles, upon which Kwanzaa is based.

These principles, in order, are:

Umoja (Unity) - To strive for and maintain unity in the family, community, nation and race.

Kujichagulia (Self-determination) - To define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves and speak for ourselves.

Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility) - To build and maintain our community together and make our brother’s and sister’s problems our problems and to solve them together.

Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics) - To build and maintain our own stores, shops and other businesses and to profit from them together.

Nia (Purpose) - To make our combined job the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness.

Kuumba (Creativity)- To do always as much as we can, in the way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it.

Imani (Faith) - To believe with all our heart in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders and the righteousness and victory of our struggle.

For more information about Kwanzaa and how to celebrate, visit: http://www.theofficialkwanzaawebsite.org/.

2008-09-19T10:38:00.002-07:00

Art as an Agent for Change is participating in its first Unity Conference on October 3, 2008 at GCSU Center for Graduate and Professional Learning.

The conference will feature workshops on activism and collaboration, and will have poetry concerning activism as well.

As a grassroots organization, A.A.C. wanted to participate in the event like this to inspire other's efforts in activism and help bring new groups into the field.

The workshop will encourage people to be creative in envisioning what they can do on college campuses and will show them what it took to form such an organization on a college campus.
For more information, contact Paul Grigsby at pagrigsby@gmail.com.

The purpose of A.A.C. is to present the plight of the oppressed, engage inequities that divide us, combat social apathy and to inform and educate all who will listen of the realities that shape our lives. A.A.C. establishes alliances with other artists and throught the mediums of poetry, visual arts, music, drama and self-expression.

2008-09-19T10:38:00.001-07:00

A Lesson Before Dying

On October 16 at 7 p.m., A.A.C. is holding a poetry performance at Blackbird Cafe in downtown, Milledgeville, GA.

The event is being held in conjuction with The Big Read, an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts designed to restore reading to the center of American culture. It gives citizens of a single community the opportunity to choose, read and discuss one book within their communities. Each community event lasts about one month.

This year, GCSU is participating in The Big Read with the book A Lesson Before Dying, and A.A.C.'s performance is based on this book.

According to its website, a 2004 report by the National Endowment for the Arts, found that not only is literary reading in America declining rapidly among all groups, but that the rate of decline has accelerated, especially among the young. As a result, The Big Read "aims to address this crisis squarely and effectively."

For more information about A.A.C's poetry performance, contact Paul Grigsby at pagrigsby@gmail.com.

The purpose of A.A.C. is to present the plight of the oppressed, engage inequities that divide us, combat social apathy and to inform and educate all who will listen of the realities that shape our lives. A.A.C. establishes alliances with other artists and throught the mediums of poetry, visual arts, music, drama and self-expression.

2008-05-25T09:28:00.000-07:00

Poetic Notions: Georgia's Intercollegiate Poetry Slam

Poetry and performance came together as Art as An Agent for Change held its first, Poetic Notions:

Georgia

’s Intercollegiate Poetry Slam, an event meant to bring together poets from colleges all over the state of

Georgia

. The event covered two nights and featured a youth and collegiate poetry slam. The Youth Poetry Slam was held on April 18, and Shaniece Mason of Milledgeville slammed the competition, winning the $100 prize and A.A.C.’s coveted Youth Poet of the Year award.

Shaniece Mason (A..A.C. Youth Poet of the Year)

Kiera "Miss Haze" Nelson (A.A.C. Poet of the Year)

Poetic Notions was held on April 19, and Kiera Nelson, a sophomore at Georgia State University, took away the grand prize of $200 with her poem, “Slam School.” Here, A.A.C. talks to Kiera about her big win.

A.A.C.: How did you come up with the idea for your poem?

Kiera: because I’ve been to so many poetry slams, and I heard a lot of the same types [of] poems. I said, ‘it’s kind of like school; in every school you have the same types of people, so I kind of just spun them together.

A.A.C: Had you been in other poetry contests?

Kiera: Yeah, a lot of them. That’s what I do-slam.

A.A.C.: Did you think you would win.

Kiera: No, not really. I didn’t know what to expect because I’d never been to Milledgeville before.

A.A.C.: What was going through your head when you were announced the winner.

Kiera: To be honest I thought, ‘Well I’m going to the mall tomorrow!” [laughs]

A.A.C.: How long have you been writing and performing poetry?

Kiera: I’ve been writing for eight years; I’ve been performing for five.

A.A.C.: Have you won any other contests?

Kiera: Yeah, I won V 103 poetry slam and a lot of other local poetry slams.

A.A.C.: Do you have any advice for aspiring performance poets?

Kiera: Just know your audience and know your competition because once you know what kind of audience you have, you’ll know what kind of poetry [to write]. You kind of write stuff that’s different but that people still like.

Art as Agent for Change plans to keep Poetic Notions in Milledgeville in 2009 and is hoping to make the event larger for the coming year.

A.A.C. Youth Poetry Slam 2008 Award Recipients

A.A.C. Youth Poet of the Year: Shaniece Mason (Baldwin County High School)

Runner up: Danielle Edwards (GCSU’s Early College Program)

Honorable Mention: Raven Hill (Carrera High Achievers Program)

Poetic Notions 2008 Award Recipients

A.A.C. Poet of the Year: Keira Nelson (Georgia State University)

Runner-up: Nadirah Ross (GCSU Alumni)

Honorable Mention: Genae Carter (Georgia Military College, Millegeville Campus)

2008-03-12T16:12:00.000-07:00

A.A.C. with Art Tank Proudly Presents "Protest De Las Marionetas"

On March 1, 2008 Art as an Agent for Change with the help of Art Tank held our puppet protest. We paraded our puppet power through the streets of Milledgeville presenting a message that raised eyebrows and got us a lot of attention, "End Apathy!"

(The "Apathy Puppet" chases his box at the GCSU's 2008 Homecoming Parade)

The Puppeteers after the Shutdown

From the left, Taylor Mills on the "Peace Puppet", Paul Grigsby on the "Television set", Hetty White, Bryan Smith, and Elizabeth Vallish on the "Apathy Puppet", Jody Bufkin, Kelly Millsaps, and Sarah Davis on the "Aids Awarness Puppet," and Zachary Elliott on the "Recycle! Puppet"

2007-11-08T17:29:00.000-08:00

As Promised Over 100 Candidates for the Election in 2008

2008 Presidential Candidates

We'll Start with the Others:

Other:
Stephen Adams
Independent
Donald Kenneth Allen
Independent
Thomas Wayne Allen
Other
Yul L. Anderson
None
Jose Miguel Aparicio
Independence
Blake Ashby
Independent
Jared Arlen Ball
Green Party
Jon Jay Banks
Libertarian
Terry Lee Barkdull
Unknown
Michael W. Bay
Other
William David Beadles
Citizen's
Carl Durantye Belle
Independent
William F. Berg
Independent
Sheila Bilyeu
Independent
David Michael Bishop
Other
Greg Black
Independent
John Douglas Blyth
Independent
Matthew Jay Borman
American
Jacques Yves Boulerice
Native American
John Taylor Bowles
Other
J. Boydston
Constitution
Jeffrey Earl Brown
Independent
Dan Byron Canfield
None
Myrtle Charlotte Carlyle
None
Jerry Leon Carroll
Other
James Harlin Carter
Other
Janice Marie Chase
Other
Jeanne Chebib
Unknown
Liza Dawn Cherricks
Independent
Todd Marvin Clayton
Constitution
Michael James Cortney
Independent
Eric Leland Creviston
Unknown
Claire Elisabeth Fields Cruise
Independent
Orion Karl Daley
Independent
HRM Caesar St Augustine De Buonaparte
Other
Michael Christopher Dutcher
Independent
Earnest Lee Easton
Independent
Max Englerius
Other
Clarita Fazzari
Independent
Bennie Lee Ferguson
Independent
Richard Earl Fleharty
Independent
Ida Cecilia Garza
Independent
Mark Blair Graham
Unknown
Peter Samuel Grasso
Independent
Jon A. Greenspon
No Party Affiliation
Jackson Kirk Grimes
United Fascist Union
William Long Hale
Independent
Albert Hamburg
Independent
Dennis M Hanaghan
Independent
Curtis Hayward
Independent
John Robert Henry
Independent
Samuel B. Hoff
Independent
Daniel J. Imperato
Independent
William Michael Ingram
Independent
Robert Garrison Jackson
Libertarian
Michael Paul Jingozian
Libertarian
Stanton T. Jolley
Independent
Arnold Matthew Jones
Independent
Robert Coleman Jorgensen
Other
Daniel Melzine Kingery
None
David Allen Koch
None
Steve W. Kubby
Libertarian
Christopher Lafontaine
Unknown
God Johan Josephe Lally
Other
Kip Lee
Libertarian
Jared Benjamin Lee
Independent
Joseph Felix Leonaitis
Independent
Bradley K. Lord-Leutwyler
None
Steven Douglas Mabey
Unknown
Mike Benjamin Martisko
Other
Joseph Martyniuk
Independent
James Hatton McCall
Independent
Frank Edward McEnulty
None
Megally Megally
Independent
Kent Philip Mesplay
Green Party
Joseph C. Miechowicz
Independent
Hubert Billy Miles
None
Robert W. Milnes
Libertarian
Omar Jones Monahan
None
Brian Joseph Moran
Other
Howard Louis Moxham
Independent
George C. Nelson
Other
Sandra Queen Noble
None
Lawrence Anthony Obern
Unknown
Glenda Gail Parker
Unknown
Jeffrey Charles Petkevicius
Independent
George David Joseph Phillies
Libertarian
Matthew D. Pinnavaia
Other
Deshon Porter
Independent
James John Prattas
Independent
Madison Augustine Primus
Other
Ralph Marshall Robinson
Independent
Paul Russell Rosenberger
Unknown
Gary W. Ruff
Independent
Cameron Sadovsky
Independent
Joseph Charles Schriner
None
Larry Joseph Schuetter
Other
Jonathon Sharkey
Independent
Christine Smith
Libertarian
Douglas Stanhope
Libertarian
Michael Sugerman
Independent
Kat Swift
Green Party
Charles Joseph Leo Symonds
Unknown
Edward Anthony Szynalski
Independent
Nanci Jean Taylor
Independent
Ben Thompson
Unknown
Linda Tompkins-Reagan
Independent
Bruce Calvin Trask
Reform
Da Vid
The Light Party
Hugh Wallace
Independent
Lanakila Washington
Independent
James Louis Dezort Watchman
Independent
Thomas Wells
Other
Ruth Bryant White
Independent
Jomo K. Manual Williams
Other
Kelcey Brian Wilson
Other
Robert B. Winn
Independent
Frank ZilaitisRepublicans:
Virginia E. Algar
Michael Andrew Arterburn
George Brent Bailey
Jedidiah Elijah Wendell Kennedy Banks
Daniel James Barnett
William Hobert Blakley
Dewey R. Broughman
Samuel D. Brownback
Edward Allan Buck
William Jason Burns
John Lee Campbell
Anthony Lungo Carter
Eamon Patrick Clune
James Cooper
Hugh Cort
John H. Cox
Susan Gail Ducey
Lowell Jackson Fellure
H Neal Fendig
Robert Leonard Forthan
David Ernst Furniss
Anne Hart Geisler
Daniel A. Gilbert
James S. Gilmore
Rudolph W. Giuliani
Raymond Ferrill Green
Joe Honeychurch
Albert B. Howard
Mildred T. Howard
Michael D. Huckabee
Duncan L. Hunter
Alexander Michael Huton
Jerry Roland Johnson
Timothy Charles Kalemkarian
Alan L. Keyes
Mark Irwin Klein
William Ronald Koenig
Philip A. Kok
Yaphet Kotto
Alden Link
Elvena E. Lloyd-Duffie
Stephen D. Macmillan
Yehanna Joan/Mary Malone
Greg Martin
John Sidney McCain
Raymond Louis McKinney
Prince Michael
Steven Edward Mirabella
James Creighton Mitchell
Robert Edward Moreau
Abdul (Kareem) Muhammad
Jesus Bilal Islam Allah Muhammed
Frederick Eugene Ogin
Ronald Ernest Paul
Rajesh Srinivasa Raghavan
Charles G. Railey
William Nathaniel Raven
Willard Mitt Romney
Kamal Karna R Reverend Roy
Marshall Samuel Sanders
Launeil Neil Sanders
Jack Shepard
Freddy Irwin Sitnick
Richard Michael Smith
Rhett R. Smith
Michael Charles Smith
Keith Robert Sprankle
Johns Wallace Stevenson
Tom Gerald Tancredo
Fred Dalton Thompson
Tommy G. Thompson
Corrogan R. Vaughn
Charles Gordon Vick
Virgil L. R. Wiles
Marc Wolin
Vernon Edgar Wuensche
Eugene Robert Zarwell

Democrats:
Laura Davis Aaron
Roland G. Aranjo
Warren Roderick Ashe
George H. Ballard
Joseph R. Biden
Christina Gerasimos Billings-Elias
Robert Edwin Boyer
Ryan Joseph Brady
Emperor Caesar
Raymond Joseph Caplette
Willie Felix Carter
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Randolph Wilson Crow
Jack L Dietz
Christopher J. Dodd
John Reid Edwards
Philip Epstein
Lou-Gary Espinosa
Nickolas Bevan Farmer
Michael Keith Forrester
Heather Fox
Dory Frank
Donald Robert Gillen
Wrendo Johnson P. Godwin
Maurice Robert Gravel
Gerald Lamar Hankins
Henry Hewes
William Charles Hughes
Darrel Reece Hunter
Keith Russell Judd
John Joseph Kennedy
Karl Everett Krueger
Dennis J. Kucinich
Dal Anthony LaMagna
Monroe Lee
Frank Lynch
John Christopher Mason
Orleans Victor Mcfoy
Lee L. Mercer
Sal Mohamed
Grover Cleveland Mullins
Barack Hussein Obama
Michel Anissa Powell
Larry Keith Reed
Bill Richardson
Ole' Savior
John W. Sawyer
Barbara Ann Scaff
Scott J. Sheldon
James Wellington Wright

None
Information provided by: http://www.vote-smart.org

2007-06-29T11:10:00.000-07:00

The Writtten Images Poetry Fest

Recently, our group ventured from our micropolitan town of Milledgeville to the Metropolitan area of Atlanta and visted the Apache Cafe. It was a steamy summer night and the Written Images Poetry Fest was in full effect as various nationally know poets like, Tommy Bottoms and Black Ice took the stage and performed alongside local Atlanta poets. A.A.C. had the esteem honor of participating in this event and we hope to participate in next year's show.

Due to the darkness and inablity to see the LCD we had an ordeal trying to ake a group photo. Here are our attempts.

(Jamie Fleming, Joey Hall, Tamkea Dean, Odinaka Ezeokoli)

OD is just an "O".

Joey is sleeping.

Tameka gets decapitated.

I'm not even going to show you what the pictures of me (Paul Grigsby) look like on stage. Despite this little mishap, we still had fun giving Apache a little dose of A.A.C.

2007-06-11T10:51:00.000-07:00

A Curtain Warmer

Recently Art as as Agent for Change was given the distinguished honor of opening up for a production of Ntozake Shange's "For Colored Girls who have Considered Suicide when the Rainbow is Enuf".

This is a picture of a portion of the cast getting ready before the show and we are pleased to have musicians Mickey Mack and Yuchuan Chen participate in their first performance with A.A.C. The curtain warmer featured an excerpt from"The Street Corner", a brand new show from A.A.C. "The Street Corner" features a blend of music and poetry that centers on the topic of violence. The show is scheduled to debut during October of 2007. Be There!

(Photo Left to right) Joey Hall, Odinaka
Ezeokoli, Mickey Mack, Yuchuan Chen

2007-05-21T15:56:00.000-07:00

A Mic Stand For Darfur

On April, 19th 2007 Art as an Agent for Change held its very own Mic Stand. The show was a fundraiser for UNICEF's emergency relief efforts in Darfur. A. Mic Stand is an event where various artists, persons, etc. take a stand for or against a particular issue. A.A.C. chose this occassion to take a stand against the injustice that is occurring in Sudan. We hope that our efforts make a difference and that we inspire others to also make a difference. Envelopes with a list of all of Georgia's U.S. House and Senate memebers were handed out along with a sample letter at the Mic Stand. The audience was asked to take a letter and write to one of our State Representatives or Senators when they left the show.

An article was published about the event check it out at (copy and paste):

http://media.www.gcsunade.com/media/paper299/

sections/20070427Features.html

2007-02-22T13:36:00.000-08:00

A Poetísical

This week at Georgia College & State University Art as an Agent for Change will perform its first live Poetísical. “The Classroom” is an A.A.C. production that blends poetry, comedy, and drama. The show is an effort to take our audience through the reasoning associated with life in a thoughtless world. Where people are often silent and do nothing to control their lives or take control by doing the wrong thing. The show features 15 spoken word pieces twelve of which are original, three written by other artists

2007-01-05T16:38:00.000-08:00

Ring

Panama Soweto performs a powerful piece on a few issues that need some attention. Take a look as he rings the bell of freedom.

2006-11-10T08:12:00.000-08:00

World Aids Day

World AIDS day is fast approaching and it is a day of memory and reflection for those who have been lost in the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Here is an interesting video about the effects of HIV/AIDS.

2006-10-28T10:11:00.000-07:00

The First AAC Production

A while back in the month of August there was a little skit done called "Civility in the Classroom". It was Art as an Agent for Change's first production involving a live performance with the A.A.C. name. Thanks for helping guys.

Cast of "Civility in the Classroom"

In the picture in no particular order (Karla White, Bobby Jones, Joshelin Kantor, Roderick Sylvester, Odinaka Ezeokoli, Bianca Longmire, Rachel Adams, Elizabeth Harvery)

2006-10-04T09:31:00.000-07:00

"It Might be Expired"

This is a short clip from Art as an Agent for Change's first production, "It Might be Expired". This particular part is a spoof of Flavor of Love. This show goes a long way with disaffirming stereotypes. Check out the clip and I hope you like it. More is coming from the A.A.C.

2006-08-26T16:44:00.000-07:00

Our First Fund-Raiser

On the nice warm night of August 24, 2oo6 the AAC had its first fund-raiser. The night was filled with dancing, laughs, and lots of fun. Our first Shut will occur next month and it was exciting to get the ball rolling for Art as an Agent for Change. Thanks to all of those who attended the party.

In the photo: (Roderick Sylvester snaps a photo during the party)

2006-08-03T14:24:00.000-07:00

Hey,

It's been a while since I've posted and it's all because of time constraints, but new stuff is coming soon so keep this blog in mind. This blog will be televised!

2006-07-25T12:39:00.000-07:00

Here's Andrew!

I was clicking through YouTube once again and I ran across something good. check out Andrew Prashad and his pome about racism.

A spoken word piece on racism written by Andrew Prashad to which he also taps. ... (more)

I can't wait to get some A.A.C. stuff online
Shut It Down!

2006-07-20T10:37:00.000-07:00

My new post, My New Post, My New Post

1. Since I haven't done this in a While, let me apologize

2. Next, one of the things I think, believe, and hold dear, is the fact that we have to prepare our own futures in the best way we can. I know that most of you who read this maybe in college and others may not, but with this post, I just want to infuse some with the knowledge to stop waiting and seize something,now! Whether it's a business, some piece of knowledge, just know, your future is what you make it and graduation may be to late to start working on that dream.

Carpe everything you can!

3. Here is a video with a little spoken word and a good message.

4. A.A.C does spoken word, I've got to get us, "all up and through here"

5. Shut It Down!

This is from the Stanford Spoken Word Collective.

2006-07-06T11:19:00.000-07:00

AIDS

I came across an article a few days ago detailing a new drug approved by the FDA. It is a retroviral drug and it is meant to benefit those with little money and cannot afford the more exspensive drugs on the market. This is a pleasing update in the ongoing fight against HIV and AIDS. Let's continue this fight until we have a cure or we eradicate this epidemic from this earth.

New AIDS Pill to Treat People in Poor Countries

By DONALD G. McNEIL Jr.
Published: July 6, 2006
The Food and Drug Administration has approved the first 3-in-1 antiretroviral pill for use by the American-sponsored plan for AIDS treatment, something that the White House's acting global AIDS coordinator said yesterday should greatly improve treatment for AIDS patients in poor countries.

Although it is not yet clear how much money it will save, having patients take only one pill twice a day "should facilitate better therapies and better adherence," said the coordinator, Dr. Mark R. Dybul.

The agency posted the approval of the drug on its Web site on Friday evening. It approved the 3-in-1 pill, made by an Indian generic drug company, for patients in countries helped by the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief.

Under that plan, the United States is now the largest provider of antiretroviral drugs in the world, paying for treatment for 561,000 patients in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean.

The Global Fund for AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis, the second-largest provider, pays for about 541,000 patients, Dr. Dybul said, although there is some overlap in countries where both agencies work. (The United States also pays one-third of the Global Fund's budget.)

The new pill, made by Aurobindo Pharma of Hyderabad, India, combines three common first-line drugs, AZT, 3TC and NVP, which are also known as zidovudine, lamivudine and nevirapine and sold in the United States as Retrovir, Epivir and Viramune.

Dr. Dybul said he was also pleased that the new pill did not contain D4T, also known as stavudine and Zerit, which is another common first-line drug, but somewhat more toxic than the others.

In poor countries, where it is harder to do frequent blood and liver tests, toxicity can be harder to control.

The plan Dr. Dybul runs, known as Pepfar, was created after President Bush's announcement in his 2003 State of the Union address that he would spend $15 billion over five years to fight AIDS.

At the time, many Bush administration critics feared the money would be reserved for expensive American and European brand-name drugs. But, defying those expectations, the program in May 2004 began buying generics and now pays for 24 generic formulations, including liquid solutions for infants. Also, the major Western companies dropped their prices for poor countries, sometimes as low as the prices of generics.

However, rather than subscribing to the World Health Organization's drug-approval process, the president's program requires separate F.D.A. approval, which has caused delays, even though the agency created a fast-track process and waived its large fees.

No one from Aurobindo could be reached for comment yesterday, but the company's Web site carried an announcement, dated Monday, saying it was "delighted to share" that its drug had won F.D.A. approval.

The first 3-in-1 antiretroviral pill was triomune, from Cipla, another Indian generic company. It won World Health Organization approval in 2002 and is used by nearly 400,000 patients whose drugs are bought by Unicef, Doctors Without Borders and other donors.

Dr. Yusuf K. Hamied, the company's chairman, said yesterday that he hoped for F.D.A. approval shortly for several Cipla products, including triomune. "Pepfar came on us out of the blue," he said. "We were concentrating more on the W.H.O., and we were a little slow catching up." Nonetheless, he praised his rival Aurobindo, calling it "a totally kosher company," and adding, "As an Indian, I'm proud of them."

2006-06-27T12:13:00.000-07:00

Tiananmen Square II

Ever wonder how to kill people and get away with it. Most people investigate when shots are fired and blood is spilled, but it seems China doesn't. This was an article featured on NYtimes.com and is about the cover up of an event that involved a little death and a little cover up.

China Covers Up Violent Suppression of Village Protest

By HOWARD W. FRENCH

Published: June 27, 2006
SHANWEI, China, June 20 — When the police raked a crowd of demonstrators with gunfire last December in the seaside village of Dongzhou, a few miles from this city, Chinese human rights advocates denounced the action as the bloodiest in the country since the killings at Tiananmen Square in Beijing, in 1989.

Villagers said at the time that as many as 30 people had been killed, and that many others were missing. The authorities have said little or nothing about the episode, concentrating instead on preventing any accounts of it from circulating widely in the country. In the limited coverage that was allowed, officials blamed the unrest on the villagers.

Six months later, there has been no public investigation of the shootings. Instead, the government has quietly moved to close the matter, prosecuting 19 villagers earlier this month in a little-publicized trial. Seven were given long sentences after being convicted of disturbing the public order and of using explosives to attack the police. Nowhere in the verdict is there any mention of the loss of life.

Outside court, villagers say, the authorities have privately acknowledged the death of three residents during the protest. Many say they suspect that more were killed, citing a witness account of a pile of bodies, and details about people who remain missing, but they say they have been warned not to cite a higher figure.

Indeed, residents of the village, in Guangdong Province near Hong Kong, say they have been warned not to talk to outsiders at all. Given the fact that journalists, lawyers, human rights workers and other independent observers have been kept away from Dongzhou, a definitive death toll may never be established.

Whatever the lingering uncertainty, the handling of the protest and its aftermath stand out as a prominent example of how China deals with localized unrest, which has been rising in the countryside.

The protest erupted over plans for a wind-power plant that used village lands and required significant landfill in a bay where the people have for generations made a living fishing. Before that, nearby village land had been used for the construction of a coal-fired power plant.

But that is not the story that Beijing, which has a long tradition of establishing official histories, wants the world to hear. Dongzhou, it seems, has been consigned to the annals of forgettable minor incidents rather than the milestone it undoubtedly is in the wave of unrest over land issues that has swept the Chinese countryside.

Even six months after the deaths, pressure to deny the truth of the matter remains intense. In dozens of telephone conversations and in interviews with the handful of villagers who were willing to slip away from home and risk speaking with a foreign reporter here, residents of Dongzhou say their telephones are tapped and entry and exit from their village tightly controlled. One phrase, "We are scared to death," was repeated over and over.

"My phone is tapped, and our conversation is being monitored," one man said hastily before hanging up. "The police may arrive even while we're still talking. I can say I don't think the villagers are guilty at all. What we did is try to regain our lawful rights over the land."

Villagers said relatives of those who had been tried were monitored especially closely. The police promptly pay visits to those who make phone calls outside the village, warning them of trouble if they speak about the December shootings. A $200 reward has been offered to informers, many said. Travel permits to Hong Kong — where many here have relatives and where there is a free press — have been barred for the entire village.

Despite their fears, and whether or not their relatives were accused of a crime, many villagers talked. They described the recent two-and-a-half-day trial as a farce that offered no real opportunity for most to defend themselves.

All but one villager were too poor to hire their own counsel, and lawyers provided by the state asked few questions, called no witnesses and presented no evidence on behalf of the accused. Sometimes, villagers said, the lawyers urged the defendants to admit their "guilt."

One man, refusing to admit guilt, said that an oral confession cited by the judge had been beaten out of him in detention, but that he had refused to sign it, according to a villager who attended the trial. The court ignored his protest.

"Even a child can understand this trial was unfair" said one woman, who would not give her name for fear of reprisals. "We don't think they are guilty, because everyone knows what happened on Dec. 6. There were killings when the government opened fire. I'm afraid I can't say anything more to you, because every telephone in Dongzhou is tapped."

The authorities have made equally strenuous efforts to keep outsiders from offering help to the villagers.

In the last few years, China has seen the emergence of public-spirited lawyers who seek out civil rights cases in the countryside and volunteer their services to peasants in disputes over land or other matters.

In a growing number of such cases, including Dongzhou, the government has threatened the lawyers with hardball tactics, including the threat of suspending their law licenses, arrests and the implicit threat of violence.

"Local governments are very determined to prevent the involvement of outside lawyers, especially those from Beijing, because if they can control the local lawyers, keep them under their will, the trial will remain completely under their control," said one civil rights lawyer from Beijing, who was turned away from Dongzhou in December.

"The authorities publicly told the villagers they could hear all of their conversations and warned if you talk to outsiders you will be arrested," the lawyer said. "It was an open threat. The villagers were really scared, and the authorities controlled the entrance from the expressways and beat people who tried to enter."

While the convicted villagers have the right to appeal, most said they saw little point and spoke of being exhausted and demoralized. Villagers said that work on the wind plant resumed the day after the protest and was racing toward completion.

"This village has been pacified as if nothing ever happened here," said one man. "The government hasn't given us a single cent for the land it took, let alone for the sea they filled in and the mountains they blasted for rocks. We dare not ask for more, because they've made it clear: if you oppose the government, they'll show their true colors."

2006-06-20T09:08:00.000-07:00

This is an effort by Eric Mata to tell everyone who he is, and who are you? What we are standing on and who has fallen so we can stand up now. This is for the plight of the oppressed and the fight we must keep fighting Feel the people on this piece as Eric Mata shuts it down!!!!! I appreciate him writing this...

( This video was played at the American Multicultural Student Leadership Conference at the University of Wisconsin-Madison to set the tone for the event. We got Eric Mata to write a spoken word piece and a handful of student leaders on campus to bring it to life)

2006-06-15T12:11:00.000-07:00

Calling All Minorities

Recently I was involved in a conversation about minority students and diversity at Georgia College and State University. A lot of people think we need more minority students on this campus. But how do we get minority students to attend Georgia College and State Univeristy, I say, get well-known black professors, they will bring students who will want to learn from them. Imagine if Nikki Giovanni came here to teach Creative Writing, I bet a few black students would come just to learn how to write some poems. Also race relations are the wave of the future, why not have, and I'm borrowing this idea, a Race Relations Major, as corporations realize the profitable benefits of diversifying their employee base, I'm sure they would like to know how to best get along with and thrive with their new employees. Also good race relations may end the bias associated with job oppurtunites because good race realtions in a workplace could help engage bias prejudice attitudes and erase years of prejudice programming, this is all a bunch of "ifs". But back to Georgia College, we need things here to make African Americans, Latin Americans, Asian Americans, and all the Americans that contribute to diversity at this institution. How do we get them here, give them the things they need for an education, appealing faculty, prior experiences here on campus, and scholarships, we only have one thank you Mary Peyton and Cook. Georgia College is currently taking steps in the right direction, there is minority engagement currently engaging and there was a gift of $700,000 for scholarships and recruitment of Latin American students, thanks Goizueta. It will be interesting to see this school in a 5 or ten years, It'll be after I have long graduated, let us hope that a change is on the horizon. And last but not least, just to call even more attention to the need, I couldn't even find stock pictures from GC&SU with all the minorities I just mentioned, had to go to Texas Tech to find a photo.

2006-06-10T14:11:00.000-07:00

Racism and Soccer

In light of the start of World Cup 2006, let's learn a little bit about the experience of Futbol or Soccer Players of African descent in the European Soccer world. Europe and Racism... Please Post a comment

2006-06-10T11:55:00.000-07:00

Tupac Shakur Speaks

This is ancient history to most of you, and 1992, is what, 14 years in our past, but for most people my age and for those of us living in the age of hip-hop, let's take it back to 1992 to an age where hip-hop wasn't as popular as it is now, and amid the hip-hop artists there were some that recognized that we as black people must stand up for something beyond money and it is our responsibility to teach and guide ourselves to a better place in this world. This is Tupac Shakur speaking at a conference in Atlanta in the long ago time of 1992. WARNING!!! There is Explicit Language.

2006-06-09T18:35:00.000-07:00

Teen Pregnancy

I know most of us know that teen pregnancy has been a problem for many years, and girls younger and younger are getting pregnant everyday. Sex among teenagers is here and it doesn't look like it's going anywhere as everyday more and more kids make adult decisions. A dilemma I was confronted with not long ago was centered around a young girl who is pregnant and doesn't want to tell her parents because they will certainly throw her out of her home if they find out she is pregnant. She has currently gathered enough money for an abortion and the only barrier to her getting the abortion currently is the distance to the clinic where the procedure will take place. Now as both sides of the argument line-up and we begin the Abortion is wrong and the Women's right to choose arguments. Let's first put ourselves in this young child's shoes. If I tell my parents they will kick me out of the house. If I abort this baby, I can continue my life, not get kicked out of my house, go to college, but I will forever remember the child I could have had, and instead killed. I could have this child and give it up for adoption, and after I endured all nine of the months, I'm supposed to give up my baby? How could I, and why are so many foster kids I've met so screwed up after growing up in and out of different homes. Finally if I keep my child, how will I afford it? Can I afford it? And I wonder if my baby's father will even help me...

The problem for me is not that this child is having a child and that she had sex before she was married, for me the problem lies with her inability to tell her parents and have their support rather than disapproval and disownership. I believe this child needs help and support rather than ridicule, how do you feel about the situation, let me know, post a comment.