Creating Visibility

K–12 Resource: Artmaking

Read about how PESTS created visibility for artists of color, and create visibility for an underrepresented or marginalized group in your school or community

Title

PESTS STRIP Newsletter, Vol. 1, No. 3 (“We serve whites only,” front cover)

Artist/Maker

PESTS

Date

1987

Medium

Photocopy

Dimensions

17 x 8½ in.

Place

United States

About

Learning Objectives

In this activity, you will:

  • learn about how PESTS created visibility for underrepresented groups through publications
  • select and research a visibility issue in your school or community
  • create a zine or poster that brings attention to the issue

Time

  • Multipart Activity

Materials Needed

  • 11” x 17” paper or cardstock
  • Colored pencils, pens, or markers

Assignment

Explore How PESTS Created Visibility

Start by looking at, reading and answering questions about the artwork featured on Explore PESTS STRIP. Then, come back to this page when done.

  • How does this example of a PESTS STRIP create visibility for artists of color? Use specific examples to support your point.

Watch A Yearbook For Us

Ollie, Sid, and Alex want to create visibility by making their yearbook more representative of their whole school. Although the video is fictional, it describes a situation that might be relatable to you or someone you know—in which the school yearbook includes certain student groups but not others.

Think of a time you were part of a group, team, or interest that felt overlooked, even in a small way. What was that like?

Research a Visibility Issue in Your School or Community

Step 1: Think about whether there are any marginalized groups at your school or community that you would like to shine a light on.

Perhaps there’s a group or organization that you, your friends, or your family are a part of. Maybe there is a club or after-school activity that not a lot of people know about. Or a community service organization that does important work that you’re a member of. Here are some examples to help get you thinking:

  • an environmental justice club or organization
  • a special but little known team (debate, chess, or something else!)
  • a cultural club or organization (a mariachi band, Japanese calligraphy club, etc.)
  • a service club or organization

Step 2: Consider barriers to visibility.

Think about why the group is not more visible. Can you identify any reasons or barriers preventing the group from having more visibility?

Gatekeepers are people or groups who control access to something based on set norms. Perhaps they control access to AP classes, colleges, sports, clubs, or activities. Think about the video, in which Ellen, the yearbook editor, did not realize she was leaving people out; she was just following the norm and doing it the way it had always been done. Once she saw examples of the people who had been left out, she realized her mistake and wanted to fix it. Gatekeepers may or may not be well-intentioned, and they may or may not be open to change.

  • Are there gatekeepers who decide which groups get seen in the example you thought of?
  • How does gatekeeping work to control access in your example?

Step 3: Find out more.

Interview members of the group or organization that you identified to learn more about why the group might not be getting as much visibility as it should. Alternatively, if you are a member of the group, answer these questions yourself.

  • What are the ways that you would like the group to be more included or seen by the rest of the community? Be specific.
  • What exactly would you like to highlight or share with the community? Be specific and include the who, what, where, when, and why.
  • Is there any data you could collect that might SHOW that the group you are researching does not get as much visibility as it should? For example, perhaps it gets less coverage on a social media channel or in a publication?

Create a Zine or Poster Inspired by PESTS STRIP

If you’d like to make an 8-page zine, visit Make a Zine for an instructional video. For a poster, use a piece of paper or cardstock that is at least 11” x 17” or larger.

Make sure your zine or poster includes the following elements:

  • clear, well-chosen text
  • visuals, whether they are drawings, comics, charts, graphs, symbols, or any combination

Try creating text and/or images that grab people’s attention, but be careful about including anything that is confusing or that distracts from the main point. For example, in PESTS STRIP, this phrase grabs the viewer’s attention: “The Following New York City Galleries Are 100% White.” Whatever details you choose to grab people’s attention, they should help illustrate your point and make your message stronger!

As you create, check that your zine or poster does the following:

  • states the issue (in this case, a lack of visibility), and why the group or organization is important

  • provides evidence that the group isn’t getting the visibility it deserves (for example, the group wasn’t included in the school yearbook, or rarely gets mentioned in morning announcements or social media)

  • includes ideas and steps on how to support the group, whether it’s to attend a performance, view what they create, or even join the group

Glossary

Gatekeeper

People or groups who control access to things, including information and opportunities, based on set norms.

Jim Crow era

The period roughly from the 1870s to the mid-1960s in the United States, particularly in the South, during which state and local laws enforced racial segregation and discrimination against Black Americans.

Segregation

The physical or social separation of people into different groups based on race, ethnicity, or other social traits, which can be enforced by law (de jure) or happen naturally through economic or social habits (de facto).

Visibility

Being seen, recognized, and valued by society instead of being ignored, overlooked, or excluded.

Related Materials

  1. Meet PESTS

    Reading

    Read about a group of anonymous artists of color who used newsletters, graphic design, and data to expose and resist racism, tokenism, and exclusion in the art world

  2. Explore PESTS STRIP

    Close Looking

    Learn about a newsletter that used facts and information to challenge systems of oppression in the art world while creating visibility for artists of color

  3. Make a Zine

    Artmaking

    Create a zine for change

  4. A Yearbook for Us

    Watch a Video

    Join Sid, Ollie, and Alex as they work to make the school yearbook inclusive for all students, then uncover why the systems already in place left people out

Related Standards and Outcomes

Credits and Licensing

This page is licensed under the Creative Commons NonCommercial 4.0 International license. You are free to make use of these pages under the terms of this license. Note that individual elements or portions of a page (for example, a copyrighted image) may be excluded from the Creative Commons license. Excluded items are clearly identified.

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