'Meraki' The Virtual Art Exhibition

'Meraki' The Virtual Art Exhibition showcases the work of the Creative Arts modules: ARTE 421 and ARTD 522 of the North-West University’s Faculty of Education, in which each art student teacher has engaged themselves in a social issue that has been addressed through arts practices. Meraki is a Greek term which means the soul, creativity, or love put into something - the essence of yourself that is put into your work through art education. The students actively engaged in communities, bringing hope, creating awareness for social issues such as femicide, gender inequality, environmental destruction and carelessness, and mental health all while encouraging creativity and individuality. The four SSASEA conference themes were addressed, namely: i) leadership and employability of the youth and elderly; ii) innovative and entrepreneurial skills development; iii) Inclusivity, equality, wellbeing and community as well as environmental awareness and heritage preservation. Each student picked a theme they believed they could bring about real social change and went out to find their own communities. They put the (P)ART model (Merna Meyer, 2019) into action, developed their own model which frames their professional identities as art educators. The students took the lead in organising their own socially engaged practices that are sustainable and creatively enhancing to all those that were involved. In becoming a Participatory Artist, Researcher and Teacher the students had to go beyond comfort and develop practices that accommodate Covid-19 all while remaining socially engaged. In curating this exhibition, I have had the privilege to accustom myself with the projects the other students have developed. The students went beyond expectations and fully immersed themselves in being socially engaged and making a real change whether it be in a school, in the streets we walk in, the cemeteries we pass or the pollution we avoid. This exhibition has been designed to immerse all who venture within in it to realise how change is not a fanciful thought but is possible to all those who identify a need and masterfully develop a plan to address it, beginning with the youth in our country.