CTSB Q2 Restate your artist's vision & one work of design under the theme of social engagement
My artistic vision statement as a designer is to use our skills to create change. By this, I mean being able to find solutions to design problems and progressively think of ways to improve them. It could be from addressing a social issue that could use a product that can make a difference or creating work to address issues and bring awareness to them. It's important to produce work that we feel can be impactful or express a certain emotion we are trying to convey. Each designer has their point of view which leads to so many possibilities of different solutions. The areas of growth around us are so wide that there are so many different ways we can use our creativity to make a difference.
This is a Nonprofit organization called “The Shoe That Grows”, Founded by Kenton Lee.
He noticed that many children in Kenya were wearing damaged shoes and weren't able to get new pairs. “Over 1.5 billion people suffer from soil-transmitted disease worldwide.” Children unable to have access to shoes could make them vulnerable to possible infections and diseases without protection. Taking into account that children are still growing, they tend to outgrow their footwear each year leaving them to again have to purchase footwear that they can't afford.
What makes these shoes unique is their ability to expand five sizes and last for years. They have “ compressed rubber soles, antibacterial synthetic upper, high-grade velcro straps, and no mechanical parts or greats to break.” I think it was a very innovative idea as they could have longer-lasting shoes that fit them and decrease the amount of money they would have to spend each year replacing their shoes. He also created a website where people can donate, and learn more about the product and the main issue he is trying to make a change to. A good way for people to be able to spread this message and bring awareness to people who may not have a voice. One of their vision statements that caught my attention was “Because poverty is a problem we can solve it together ”. It stood out to me because its something very assertive and empowering to encourage people to want to come together to be apart of the solution.
I decided to choose this social engagement issue because it is an issue that a lot of people in poverty suffer from not having enough funds to be safe and protect themselves. The product also seems very versatile so it can be worn by many different types of people. The idea of creating a product that is both durable and long-lasting does help make a difference and hopefully continue to protect children from suffering from diseases around them.
becauseinternational.org/theshoethatgrows/kentonlee/2007/https://becauseinternational.org/about-us#our-team/
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