Thirteenth International Conference on The Arts in Society

Abstract

The Red Sand Project was begun by artist Molly Gochman in 2014; its goal was to raise awareness of human trafficking. Red sand is handed out to participants who then place it in sidewalk cracks. It is a deceptively simple, collaborative art experience that makes visible a complex metaphorical concept. An estimated 30 million people are currently enslaved. They have literally fallen through the cracks of society; we walk past them daily but do not see them. The Red Sand Project forces us to look, to acknowledge slavery as a startling reality that must be addressed. In fall of 2016, art students under my direction at Central Washington University participated in the Red Sand Project, but not as a one-time event. Theirs was a year-long project that grew to be an interdisciplinary, community-wide endeavor. This paper documents this act of student-led art activism, considering its planning and implementation, its success and failures, and its strengths and weaknesses, in order to begin a discussion of ways to help students create connections between their field of study and positive social engagement.