Millions of people have been killed worldwide in the past few years due to genocide. Genocide is something that is talked about in the news often and is an issue that most Americans are aware of, however, it is an issue that is not receiving the attention it deserves.
The Cause
Started by Albuquerque artist, Naomi Natale, the One Million Bones project is a social action art installation that works to raise awareness about genocide and ongoing atrocities in countries like Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Somalia through education and artwork bones. Students Rebuild, a national student organization, donates $1 for every bone made to CARE, an organization that works on the ground in Africa.
The Impact
Matthew Remington, a teaching assistant for the Department of Art and Art History, first heard about One Million Bones when he attended an educator seminar in 2010 at the Holocaust Museum in Houston. Remington was drawn to the project and contacted the coordinator about bringing the project to campus. Now, Remington is working with a visual art studies class and several different student organizations to make 10,000 bones.
The effect the project has had on participants is evident.
“When you make something with your hands, it changes the way you feel, which changes the way you act,” said Remington. Besides UT students, Remington has also worked with elementary, middle, and high school students to make bones. “The younger the kids you’re working with, the more apparent the realization is about the cause,” said Remington.
The project has the goal of creating 10,000 bones for the on-campus presentation that will take place 11 a.m.-1 p.m. November 13 at the South Mall. There are also project coordinators in Houston and Dallas that are helping reach this goal. After the presentation in November, the bones will be sent to Washington D.C. as a state contribution for the one million bone installation at the National Mall from June 10-18.
A Far Reach
Remington hopes that the presentation on campus will have students thinking about change and realizing that this is an ongoing problem that needs to be addressed. “When students go to the installation and look at the bones, they will be forced to see death on this scale and know what it’s like to lose so many people close to them,” said Remington.
Students that are enrolled in the participating visual arts studies class also realize the profound impact One Million Bones will have. Jenny Nguyen, a senior human development family sciences major, has credited the project with increasing awareness.
“One Million Bones has definitely made me more aware of the atrocities going on in third world countries,” said Nguyen. “You can only hear about it in the news because nothing like that happens in America.”
Brianna Herold, senior psychology major, thinks the project will put genocide into a different perspective. “It will be a totally different experience from hearing about it on the news versus actually seeing something that represents genocide,” said Herold.
After the installation in D.C., the bones will be embedded with seeds and planted across the country. However, Remington will always work with genocide awareness. He plans to write about genocide in his thesis and will continue to incorporate the issue into his artwork.
“Genocide is not something that will be solved the day after this art installation, but this project will definitely be a step forward,” said Remington.