Popping (Post)modernism: Joaquín Torres-Garcia & Latin America\u27s Pop Art Movement

Even though the canon of Western Art History has attributed the Pop movement to the US and the UK, artists from around the world have made significant contributions to pop art and formed their own Pop movements. This includes the Latin American pop artists Felipe Ehrenberg (Mexican), Antonio Henrique Amaral (Brazilian), and Juan Dávila (Chilean), who, between the years 1968 and 1974, fled right-wing political unrest of their respective home countries and gained artistic education in dominant, imperialistic countries. These artists subvert the capitalistic, adverting language of pop art to promote the localized political sensibilities of their home countries and forge their pathways towards decolonizing art. Decades before the emergence of the pop art movement in Latin America, the Uruguayan artist Joaquín Torres-Garcia challenged modernism, an inherently European epistemological and aesthetic system. Torres-Garcia’s art and approach to selfhood allows us to consider him as one of the precursors of a “decolonial” intervention: one that questions the outside pressures of modernity’s colonialism and imperialism. He sowed some of the seeds of pop art’s budding “transmodernity”–an approach to thinking about modernity through the voices of the sub-ontological. Ehrenberg, Amaral and Dávila’s subversive uses of materiality, the grid, and iconography create a unifying thread that connects them back to Torres-Garcia. The inclusion of the three pop artists’ localities and experiences in their work creates the unique diversity necessary for transmodern work. As Torres-Garcia shares some of their aesthetic qualities, his legacy provides a valuable framework a decolonizing alternative to modernism’s homogenizing universality

Health Care in Appalachia

Elements of providing medical services in Appalachia are explored including; cultural considerations, technology, access to care, cultural foods, the impact of humility, and a nostalgic romanticism of life “as it used to be”. Healthcare providers who understand these nuances are more likely to be co-participants in their patients health and promote medical compliance. The Appalachian population has higher rates of significant diseases and hospitalizations compared to the nation as a whole. Much of Appalachia is in the “Diabetes Belt” as designated by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2011). This is demonstrated by the fact the Appalachian area of Virginia has a significantly higher diabetes rate than the non-appalachian areas (Virginia Department of Health, 2009). Other health risks for the Appalachian population include obesity, heart disease, tobacco use, cancers, and more. In fact, Ludke & Obermiller (2012) state, “The Appalachian region is one of the nation’s most obese regions…”, with a high percentage of hospitalizations from heart disease that is “...four times the national Healthy People 2010 goal”. For this presentation, the author draws on her 30 years of healthcare experience in Appalachia, her own Appalachian heritage, and her passion for providing competent, meaningful healthcare to the residents of Appalachia. She believes practice guidelines should be adapted to allow the patient to maintain a sense of cultural self. Recognizing the distinctive manner in which a group conducts their lives is a generosity, and healthcare providers are encouraged to look beyond stereotypical ideations and into the heart of rural Appalachians

Diabetes and the Appalachian Culture

Diabetes is epidemic in the United States. According to the Virginia Department of Health (2011) diabetes is 71% more prevalent in the Appalachian region of Virginia compared to the rest of the state. In 2009, 13.9% of Virginians living in the Appalachian region had a diabetes diagnosis, which was significantly higher (p\u3c0.001) than the 7.4% of Virginians with diabetes in the non-Appalachian regions. The American Diabetes Association asks that traditions, beliefs, religion, and heritage be weighed when the practitioner recommends lifestyle alterations. A literature review indicated initial improvement in blood glucose values after implementation of culturally relevant education interventions in various population groups. The challenge for the healthcare provider practicing in the Appalachian regions embodies how to integrate healthy lifestyle changes while acknowledging and respecting the cultural background of the rural Appalachian patient. The poster presentation explores Appalachian traditions that impact diabetes lifestyle management. Indigenous foods and their harvest and storage methods such as beekeeping, livestock rearing, hunting, canning, jam and butters, and even moonshine are considered, as well as transportation and technology difficulties. The goal is encouraging patients to maintain a sense of cultural self while increasing compliance with medical recommendations in diabetes self management. Understanding the diversity of a particular group allows an educator to adapt information in a manner that will allow patients to better understand, and better utilize, the information offered. Instead of handing diabetic patients generic educational materials, healthcare workers should incorporate and honor the cultural traditions of the Appalachian region