In order to help the Goth community reach this goal, I would like to organize an event of exhibition of Goth and other dark arts. I feel that art is a non-threatening form of communication and self-expression and that the public would respond more positively if the movement was marketed as self-expression (which is a large portion of the Goth ideology). Since Goths have a negative image, the goal is to lighten this image by demonstrating the creativity of the community.

I have embarked on a journey with these ideas in mind. I am not certain of the direction that it will take me, but I feel that it is something that I MUST do. I cannot describe the feelings that I have towards this project, but I know that it is something much larger than myself.

Topic description:

After a great deal of thought and research, I am pleased to say that I have created a strong research proposal idea. I started out with the idea that I wanted to continue my path of research on the Goth subculture. It is something that I have a good grasp of and I feel that I can do a great deal more with. I had a roadblock in terms of finding what the next step would be in terms of the research that I do, as well as, how to help the Goth community.

Then I asked myself the question: What other alternative subculture has been successfully integrated into society? The answer: Punk.

Punk and Goth emerged around the same time in the 1970s (I will get to this in my Groundwork paper), yet Punk is far more accepted by society today. Then I posed the question: Why? The reason is because Punk has marketed itself as a musical genre, a fashion style, and an art form. In other words, Punk has found a way to make itself user-friendly, whereas Goth has not.

Therefore, my present mission is to make Goth user-friendly so that members outside of the Goth community will be less afraid of it. I feel that this is a good bridge project that will lead to more awareness about the Goth subculture.

I want to create an event of Goth arts-poetry, dance, painting, fashion design, etc. I plan to ask Goth community members to showcase their art forms and invite the public to the event. This event will be highly educational, because it will answer the question: “What is Goth?” The answers will lie in the art forms, as well as, informational pamphlets and posters that I will create along with the help of members of the Goth community.

I will also open this event to artists outside of the Goth community so that other alternative subcultures can also have a chance to have their voices heard. I will be sure to keep it to the more macabre alternative subcultures so that there is a sense of cohesion. The reason for this branching out is because I found that a lot of the same people overlap into various alternative subcultures and I want to be inclusive of the entire sphere.

Background research and knowledge:

In order to carry out this project, I need to have a strong understanding of the Goth subculture and its affiliates. I will also need to see what specific subcultures to include to maintain the above-mention cohesion. I will also have to gain some more knowledge about the arts in these subcultures so that I am able to tie them in with the Goth ideology.

Importance for me:

This topic is of importance to me because I strongly feel that people should be allowed to be themselves and be accepted for who they are. Society should have options for people so that they are not limited to things that they may not enjoy. Also, it is a personal mission of mine to quell the incorrect attitudes that people have about Goths and other alternative groups. In my research I have found a great deal of false information written by individuals who have no knowledge about Goths. Yet people read these articles because the writer has a PhD behind his name and then blame Goths for problems within their societies. I want to be the antagonist and fight for the truth.

Importance for the Goth community:

The Goth community is not well-understood by society and often dismissed as evil, satanic, and violent. These accusations could not be farther from the truth, yet they continue. Goth is an inclusive, accepting subculture where people of various backgrounds, ages, races, sexual preferences, and interests can feel at home. The world is finally learning that society is very diverse, yet they are unsure of how to deal with this diversity. For this reason, individuals that do not fit the mold are left emotionally homeless.

Goth is a positive subculture based on awareness of the world events and of oneself. They do not shut their eyes to the truth like so many others do, but embrace life for what it is-tragedy and all. Goth is an important outlet for a great amount of people because of its accepting nature and it is important to preserve such an open sanctuary.

I feel that my project would help Goths teach others about their community, thereby, having the power in their own hands to change society’s attitudes about them. They will be able to make the change happen and be empowered to keep their community alive for generations to come.

            This website is focused on helping the public understand the Goth subculture. It is divided into problems and solutions so that action can be taken in order to dispel the myths about Goths. This site will be helpful in terms of learning of the problems associated with the Goth subculture and what can be done to alleviate some of them.

Vercillo, Kathryn. History of the Goth Sub (Culture). http://hubpages.com/hub/History-of-the- Goth-SubCulture

            This website provides an overview of the history of Goth and then transitions into describing the meaning of certain Goth fashions and other components of the culture. This website will be utilized in explaining the questions that the public may have about the reasons behind certain Goth behaviors.

Zieber, Maureen. The American Goth Subculture: From Historic Word Use to Misconceptions.             http://popculture.suite101.com/article.cfm/the_american_goth_subculture

            This website addresses further details regarding the misconceptions that the public has about Goths. Additionally, it provides useful sources for further research. This website will be used in order to understand the history behind Goth in order to understand the present public attitudes toward them.

Elder, Preston A. What is Goth? http://www.goth.net/goth.html

This website discusses the meaning behind the Goth subculture and dismisses some of the misconceptions about members of this subculture. This source will be utilized in order to help define the meaning of Goth.

Porter-Smith, Alicia. A Study of Gothic Subculture.  http://www.gothicsubculture.com/

This website addresses the false perceptions of Goths that the media has created, as well as, other misconceptions about Goths. This source will be used to define the topics of misunderstanding that society has about the Goth subculture.

Robinson, B.A. The Goth culture: it’s history, practices, stereotypes, religious aspects, etc.  http://www.religioustolerance.org/goth.htm

This website explains the ideology behind the Goth subculture by depicting it as a spiritual group. This source will be used in order to help explain the ideas behind Goth, as well as, dispel the myths of Satanism, etc. that society has about Goths

To my relief, the residency week proved that I was, indeed, in the right place and that I would be able to handle this new chapter of my life. I was concerned that my fellow students would be the wrong kind of people and that this would sour me out of the program. It really matters to me that I am surrounded by the right individuals, because then I know that I am in the right place. Needless to say, the group of students is very diverse but the thread that links us all is highly evident.

Each person in the program has their own idea of what cultural sustainability means to them and how they plan on using the skills that we will be acquiring.  Not only does this demonstrate the breadth of cultural sustainability, it also demonstrates its importance. Clearly if this concept matters to such a diverse group of individuals, it has to have some sort of significance.

Through various discussions with people about their projects, the freedom that the program provides has really been demonstrated. It was interesting to learn about the problems of Native American tribes, Maryland’s eastern shore residents, the study abroad world, and many others. The team-building activities such as the leadership-style compass really helped me see the different approaches that people take to solve a problem and that there are, indeed, many ways to look at the same problem. I also liked the field trips we took to the eastern shore and the Philadelphia folklore project, because it showed me a picture of this new community that I have joined. Most people aren’t blessed enough to get the experience of living in their dream community for a week, I was.

Because of this week, I learned that it is okay to be yourself and follow your dreams, even if they aren’t cookie cutter dreams of having a white picket fence and a doctor for a husband. In this creative and warm environment, I feel that I will truly be able to do my best work and push myself to the next level. I can be myself and really do something that I care about, which is an amazing feeling. This program is encouraging, rather than discouraging. I mean “wow,” they are actually letting me do a project on Goths and aren’t giving me the hair eyeball!

Bottom line, this residency week gave me the additionally courage that I needed in order to make this freak show of a project come to life. It’s okay to dare and dream and push boundaries, you just have to find a place that is confident enough in itself and you. This Cultural Sustainability program is the answer to my prayers.