Janelle's Work
Janelle's Reflection
I had the idea to do this painting pretty early in the semester when reference was made to the Greek myth of Odysseus that this class is named after. The reference I used for the ship is a mosaic in Tunisia portraying Odysseus on his ship with his crew on their return journey from the Trojan war. I like Greek myth because of the fantastical nature of the stories and because all the characters are so flawed and fallible – there aren’t a lot of cheesy happy endings – but there is an idealism and heroism in those who persist with courage and resilience. I feel like in the Odyssey Project we’re on a sort of metaphorical quest for those hallmark pillars of the Humanities, i.e. truth & beauty & what it means to be human.
I like the idea of a small group of people united in a common cause, especially when they’re coming from all different places. As an adult in our society, meeting new people doesn’t happen that often, and the people you’re most likely to meet through work or common acquaintances are likely to be of your same demographic (in terms of age, education, politics, race, class, etc). It’s so valuable to meet and collaborate with people of different perspectives and experiences. In biology, they say the most resilient ecosystems are those with the greatest biodiversity, and I feel like that principle can be applied to address problems in our community and broader society. I think oftentimes societal problems arise in the first place from insular thinking and misinformed narratives that go unchecked.
There’s also something beautiful in taking your fate in your hands and trying to influence your own life and experiences instead of passively falling into a routine where life has gradually led you. This is another theme in Greek myths where there are Fates who influence the lives of mortals, but the mortals can still exercise agency in their own destinies, which I feel like is something we in this class have in common because we all had to volunteer for this experience, wherever it may take us. I’m glad to have met you all and that we’re all in the same metaphorical boat.
Janelle's Work
