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Yukon Research by Jo deBeaudrap I am a visual artist often incorporating symbols, collage and mixed media into paintings. For this piece I wanted to use, as raw material, the ideas and drawings recorded by people who took part in the research project.Since I don’t work in the field myself this allowed me to connect with relevant issues, gather visual material and include real literacy workers in the project.
RiP participants expressed both frustration and gratification about their field. They wrote about the need for community support, for building a foundation and finding new ways to do things. Some expressed frustration at being surveyed when time and money are stretched thin. Several participants used a flower or tree to illustrate issues in their work. Although the plant/tree is not a particularly original metaphor, it is a theme I considered which was supported by associations made in drawings by participants. Working on the piece I thought about how literacy affects the social and economic development of individuals. The impression that I have is that the challenges for the worker are often similar to the challenges of the learner: time, money, support and staying motivated. We can look at research as the roots of literacy work; roots that support growth and the real life of literacy, people working and striving, whether in the field or in achieving literacy personally. The fruit of the plant is the literacy, symbolized by the alphabet buds; this fruit can be harvested and used in many ways. Individual characters compose words or numbers which can express ideas; those with absolutely simple application and absolute necessity or those that convey and explore a creative thought. Whether practical or profound, the uses are the same. This work yields a harvest. The three smaller pieces at the bottom each have roots: some older and dried, some fresh and vital, some different—the new roots of technology. This is a society where constant development pushes us into new ways and new notions of literacy. One may learn to read and write, handle time and money but computer and technological literacy is a world unto itself. Technology can be both a barrier and an equalizer. It can be incredibly accessible yet so complex that few of us can really understand it and manipulate it. Notice the research rabbit, the time challenges and the arts and words of RiP participants. This was a wonderful project and I enjoyed collaborating with the Yukon learning community.
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