When I attended the FOOR FOLX gallery opening reception, I encountered an interactive visual arts exhibit exploring what it was like to live between the lower, middle, and upper classes. It talked about subjects that many aren’t comfortable talking about – like class, class mobility, the acquisition of wealth and privilege, how it affects the individual, their career, and the community.
Even though I grew up in a middle class family (a term which, itself is vaguely defined), I connected with a lot of the pieces displayed in the art gallery. I listened to one of the curators, Tina Cho, give an impassioned speech on the 3D Interactive Graph of Debt, Wealth, and Income; I participated in the interactive exhibits; I placed my post-it note where I thought I was on the social class ladder – lower class. And yet, I felt guilty putting it there.
Yes, I am a college student – a huge amount of my money is going towards higher education, and I’m working a part time job. But I couldn’t forget where I came from or the circumstances that led me here, from the fact that I came from a closely knit, middle class family, to when I was in a car-bike accident and received a settlement that I decided to use to pay off all of my tuition. I am middle-class in college where the majority was experienced downward mobility and were likely going to end up with mountains upon mountains of debt by the time they graduated.
And whether I liked it or not, I saw myself beginning to belong to two classes: middle class with my family and lower class with fellow college students. I have had to learn how to blend in with both cultures, but didn’t feel I belonged to one or the other.
So I made another post-it note, naming it the “Albright Family” and placed it in middle. I might not be FOOR, but I know I belong to two distinct classes, whether slightly or very much, and the cultures involved with that. This exhibit is something everyone can connect with. I highly recommend that you check it out.
Caitlin Albright, Arts and Media Leadership Associate, is a senior at the University of Minnesota and a Leadership Intern at Intermedia Arts. Although she grew up in a small town sandwiched between Blaine and Lino Lakes, Caitlin attended a Spanish immersion elementary school in Forest Lake, and followed the program up to her sophomore year of high school. She attended Anoka Ramsey Community College as a PSEO student for both her junior and senior years of high school, and then went off to the University of Minnesota to pursue a Bachelor’s of Individualized Studies in Astrophysics, Earth Sciences, and Leadership. Although she is looking at a career in the STEM field, Caitlin is an amateur artist who dabbles in both digital and traditional media, enjoys writing and reading, and has an appreciation for the arts.
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