blog post 3

I believe that the collaboration between Tim Rollins and the KOS children worked for a couple of reasons. One reason is that He actually took an interest in them and cared about them. The book said that these kids were the ones that had been “shut out by the educational system (and eventually by society)” (169). He saw what no one else was able to see. They had talent. They had a voice that needed to be heard, and they were very creative. He saw the potential in them, and he gave them a vision and purpose in life whereas without him they probably would have slipped between the cracks. This leads into my second point that the collaboration worked because they shared his vision. They wanted to get their point of view across. They wanted to let the world see what they saw as they looked at the past and present events around the world. They wanted their voice to be heard. One student said, “I guess our art is one of the only ways we can show our point of view, about how we see the world” (169). Their artwork was their way of voicing their opinions and views, and that was their goal to get their voice out into the world.

I do think that more collaboration programs like this should be used in many different areas. There are so many kids out there that are left behind with no one there to help him or her move forward. I think that by taking a particular gifting or interest that a child has and using it to help them voice their opinions as well as understand the world past, present, and future is very affective. This could change lives forever. It gives kids a confidence in who they are. They no longer look at themselves as rejects and unwanted by others. They learn to accept themselves and they find other people who are just like them. This can be used in so many different venues whether it is athletics, music, creative writing, journalism, etc. Many kids would benefit from this type of learning. One way this could be done is in music by bringing kids from all different backgrounds to create and compose music. I know several people who are very quiet and reserved in person, but put an instrument in their hand and they have a lot to say. They can learn how to get their feelings, emotions, and voices out through their music and lyrics. They could learn about the past and present musical movements and learn to find their style and voice through that. I think that this program is very powerful and should be expanded to other fields so that it can touch and change many more lives.