T H E M E S
E X H I B I T I O N
T H E M E S
The themes for Without Alarm II were developed by ARTScorpsLA's Youth
Council of Tierra de la Culebra in conjunction with the Arroyo Arts Collective.
The themes provide viewers a cohesive plan for understanding the conceptual
basis of the exhibit. For the catalog, artists are grouped within these
themes. Please refer to the map for a specific artist's location within
the jail. The themes for Without Alarm II reflect life's process as concentric
circles of security/insecurity expanding from the interior and personal,
through neighborhood and local concerns to global, economic and ecological
issues. The beginning of the circle deals with Internal Development/Spiritual
Issues. What nurtures us? What personal responsibility can be assumed? What
is freedom, safety, identity and security? What interior problems keep us
victims? The second circle is Family/Home. What does belonging in a place
mean? Are family and home refuges in modern society? How do problems of
spousal abuse and child neglect impact us? Are we isolated within our houses
turned into fortresses through gates, bars, curfews? The third circle
explores The Streets as Neighborhood and Community. Are young people free
or trapped, turning to the streets for parenting ? Should incarceration
vs. education be the favored response to crime? Do we believe in inmate
rehabilitation? How can we overcome laws resulting in isolation, and instead
build communities where everyone feels secure? Spiraling out, the next circle
focuses on the State/Nation as External. Do policies concerning crime and
poverty make us more secure? Do our institutions contribute to our security?
How do we deal with problems of the disabled? How do we treat prisoners?
White collar criminals? The final circle encompasses the Global as International/Culture.
Can we be secure in a world where others struggle for peace and justice?
Do we become more or less secure in our domination of nature and technology?
Are we safe if the world's environment is at risk?