Finals. Finally. Done.

well, in about 30 mins. once i finish my participation in the discussion room for Crossing Borders. despite my occasional indifferent or uninspiring attitude for this class, I know i had to have been enlightened in some way. any way, small or big, (of course that being subjective) is A way. A way that in some time, now and/or later, will allow me to provide the world around me with some catalytical force that I never would have been able to do prior this class. And i guess, this is what living is about- learning, experiencing,... continually seeking out potential in yourself and others to progress.

i thought my teacher's closing statement for this class was inspiring, and thus, worth reiterating.
...

And Lippard's concluding paragraph is worth repeating here: "Without a vision, without a big dream, without the anger and humor that keeps our feet on the earth even when our heads are in the clouds, we won't see the multicultural society that these artists in their diverse ways are trying to show us. N. Scott Momaday has said that 'We are what we imagine. Our very existence consists in our imagination of ourselves... The greatest tragedy that can befall us is to go unimagined.'" (248)

What a powerful way to end this book and this study. The most exciting thing about teaching post-colonial theory to artists in an art school is that each of you has the potential to do the work you love and have worked so hard to become skilled at and to make a difference in this world. Also, because we all come from such diverse backgrounds, countries, and artistic disciplines, we have the potential to embrace an art practice that can bring hope to this ever-shrinking world of ours. I am reminded here of what one of the young women says in one of the Invisible Children special features: in essence, she says that a lot of little people, doing little things, can create change. It reminds me, too, of Suzi Gablik's contention that it takes only 5 to 10 percent of people in a society to create such change.

As I wrote this module, I realized that ending a class is probably the most difficult part for me. I get to know you, I get to read your comments, and you give me hope! I teach here because I have a tremendously high regard for students of the Academy, and I teach this class because I truly have hope that we all can become responsible citizens of this world and focus on and create not only our own work, but the possibility of a more meaningful world society.

It is my hope that the awareness that this class has promoted will continue as you leave school and realize your potential in your career. I hope that you, too, will seek to restore a sense of aliveness, possiblity, and magic to our world culture.