The first piece I choose was "Holding Orange - Jason Strong", the story behind it was very touching because once Jason Strong got out of prison for being wrongfully convicted, he was in the diner and asked for an orange. It was very wholesome, he just wanted an orange because in prison they were not able to get an orange. To me, it gives off you could have everything in the world as your first meal but choose something that is simple. I know in some countries oranges or any kind of fruit are special, and rare to even get your hands on them. It must have been really special to him and for him to finally have one in his hands must have been like a double cheeseburger to him. In the art piece, I saw noticed the cardinals and they would come through in moments of joy and sorrow to let you know they will always be there for you. "Through such conflation of virtuality in the hope that the viewer's entire body, not only her/his mind, will experience the interventions that I perform (Villar, 2004)." This quote from The Intervention basically sums up what Julie Green wants us the viewers to understand the meaning behind her work and why she did so.
Once you know the story behind it and who she wrote it about it just makes sense. Every plates ower are either alive or dead but the saddest part is that they were innocent just like Julie Green. Every plate represents every single person she made it for and they are unique in their own way. It is not just any kind of plate but a story of the person behind them and what they went through. In the "Holding Orange - Jason Strong", I noticed there is a forest-like image she painted and I feel like that resembles them finally being free. The plates are really beautiful and just special in their own way and the message is being delivered for sure. This just makes me wonder what if one day you were wrongfully accused of committing a crime you did not do. You would not be able to see the outside world anymore or have your favorite food. Not even, not even have a decent plate of food at a restaurant. I cannot imagine what it is like for someone to go through all of that trauma and still live their lives.
The second piece I chose was, "Thank God I'm Home said Marcel Brown" not for how beautifully made it was but for the story behind it. Marcel Brown was arrested when he was a teenager and was denied a lawyer. This just reminded me of The Central Park 5 where they made 5 innocent teenagers confused about a crime they did not commit. They basically spent half of their lives in prison without parole and later on, they found the true corporate who did those things to the white jogger. They were wrongfully accused and convicted of numerous crimes, and their convictions have since been overturned. Each of the five men served between 5 and 12 years in prison. Sadly this is how the system works how sloppy and lazy our law enforcement is getting. Just because of their skin color? That’s why we had to blame it on innocent teenagers who did not even see or know the jogger. They were tricked into confessing to a crime they did not commit so "they can out sooner and go home."
Another event that this reminds me of is Kalief Browder was accused of stealing someone's bookbag just because he had to have the same one. He spent three years on Rikers Island without being convicted of a crime but was arrested for a robbery he did not commit. He was badly beaten in the prison and after two years of solitary confinement, where he attempted to end his life. You can just imagine what he was going through during those two years in solitary confinement and losing hope that he'll never get the trial he deserved. Once he was released, mentally he was not himself because whenever he saw a police officer he was paranoid. He thought they would arrest him again and back to Rikers Island. He sadly committed suicide in his own home where his mother found him being hung. When I saw the documentary about him it really shook me to the core because of cruel he was treated in the prison. I get it there will be fights always but everyone targeted Kalief Browder only and the police officers did nothing to help him. In Siegler’s Chapter, 5 quotes that stood out to me were, "Sadly, as relevant today as it was then". This ties to what I'm saying is that this is still going on today, people being wrongfully convicted of crimes they did not commit. There are innocent people in prison while the ones that should be in prison are free and living their lives. I can see how the trauma he had in prison affected him in the real world normal life. Who wouldn't? Afraid of the cops who put you in solitary confinement for two years without seeing any kind of sunlight. It just haunts you and he did go to a psych ward to get help multiple times but it did not help him.
The plates as "first meals" remind me of the saying "last meal" when one is on death row as your last request before leaving this earth. The concept of death row is so unnecessary but that is for another project. Siegler’s Chapter 5 quote that stood out to me was, "Simple message, bold type, strength in numbers." There are people who believe in justice and when it should be served wherever or not they get in trouble. Like there are protest groups that fight for those who cannot speak up for themselves but they are out here with their beliefs held high. In my selfie, I am in New York where every known movement known to man has happened on those grounds. I picked this place to take the selfie because it reminded me of the first art piece "Holding orange - Jason Strong" where there are trees all over the plate. I was trying to picture myself in the people I talked about shoes, how it would've felt. You could be walking down the block and the police stopping you for the color of your skin or the way you dress. It is scary to think about it and how the people who are supposed to protect you are not and instead you are afraid of them.
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