When it comes to using subversive means of communication, whether it be a visual or physical expression, it’s a language that many USC students speak fluently. One such artist is Jenna Schneider, a junior majoring in design who uses recycled materials to impart her message of sustainability. Working within these limitations forces Schenider to rethink how existing items around her can be reused.

“I do a lot of upcycling with clothing, but I used to work with plastic bags and making yarn [out of them], as well as playing with pop tabs, to make chainmail from them,” Schneider said. “It’s crazy how much the world of sustainable textiles has just taken off.”

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Scheider’s advocacy is multi-layered: her mediums of choice as well as the work itself, bring awareness to the environment. This issue of sustainability hits home for Schneider since, as an artist, the waste she produces exists alongside everything she creates.

“As a student, it’s unfortunate, but a lot of [what we create] ends up in the trash just because you don’t have space for it. I really try to focus on the issue of sustainability and what we can do as artists to limit our impact,” Schneider said.

Schneider endeavors to show others that being responsible with their materials can open greater opportunities in their creative work rather than limit what they can achieve.

“One impact I hope to have is showing people the different processes that are out there and to challenge others to think outside of the box when it comes to materials,” Schneider said. “I hope that others seem interested and begin to explore what sustainable art can look like.”

While physical means of communication are effective tools for advocacy, artists are faced with unique challenges as they attempt to connect with their audiences.

“Finding ways to add layers and kind of complicate [how I communicate my feelings] has been a really important part of my journey,” said Anjali Sareen, a senior majoring in art. “[I’m] thinking about how I want to interact with an audience, or [how] I want other people to interact with my work.”

This idea of bringing the audience into the work rather than imparting her message on a more surface level has been a guiding force in her most recent exhibition, shakti, which showcases a collection of photographic and sculptural pieces.

“My creative process always starts with me asking people questions,” Sareen said. “I’m inviting people to be immersed, and I think that kind of has an advocacy of its own.”

Through her pieces, Sareen tells a story about the divine feminine and how cultural contexts inform one’s understanding of femininity. She hopes that her challenges of patriarchal narratives can connect universally with her audience’s lived experiences.

“I’m half Indian and half Guyanese, and in Indian culture, there’s a certain side to this concept that the divine feminine is beautiful, and it comes from this goddess, but she’s also very much associated with being the wife of the God,” Sareen said. “So I was just thinking about redefining the male gaze and how that can be something that’s beautiful and something that’s angry.”

Sareen has always been drawn to expressing herself through unspoken means, whether it be dance, photography, or sculpture. She finds inspiration for her work in her past versions and the stories of those around her.

“I wanted to hone in on very personal narratives and how that can create a universal advocacy for other people,” Sareen said.

Patrick Corbin, an associate professor of practice in dance, has had a similar life mission of leveraging his skills in dance to be a champion for others. Since the 1980s, Corbin has been researching the connection between dance and the brain and has since brought his initiatives to the Kaufman School of Dance.

“I teach a course called Dance and Health: Dance and Ability, and I’ve run three sections of it,” Corbin said. “[One] was focused on dance and Parkinson’s disease. I ran a section that was focused on dancing and Down syndrome, and I’m running a section this semester that is focused on dance and neurodiversity, focusing specifically on autism.”

Corbin has used this connection between dance and neurological conditions to empower members of impacted communities to find non-traditional avenues for dialogue as well as bring disparate kinds of students together.

“I started my journey [at] the intersection of dance and autism … and instead of looking at Dance and Ability as an intervention or as a therapy, it’s really just creating community. Coming together with people, the USC students who are in the course and the communities that we’re working with are all getting better brains because of the work we’re doing,” Corbin said.

For those who rely on multimodal communication, Corbin’s classes provide a space that reincludes them in the narrative of expression, dance operating as a metaphorical voice for those who cannot speak. His advocacy work on these issues also informs the way he teaches technical classes.

“I hope it’s making me a better and more communicative teacher,” Corbin said. “I hope that I bring the same amount of joy and passion to each and every population because I feel like that’s my superpower. If you can bring this joy and passion and love to whatever room you’re in, then people are going to feel invited to join in.”