In general, when people hear the word art, they envision an artist painting on a canvas. Likewise, when people hear the word activism, they imagine loud protest in the streets. If the two words are put together, we have a topic that society knows little about. Art activism has been a silent but powerful voice for countless political clashes, human rights, animal rights, and social change throughout the years. It has taught tolerance and compassion towards countless issues the general public chooses to turn a blind eye to. As a result, this form of activism has opened the door for activist to reach their targeted audience in a more creative nature and through a multitude of creative expressions. Art has a knack for drawing attention; this is why activists use it as a way to strengthen community awareness. Take my own experience; my occupation is in the Early Childhood Education field. Early childhood educators and …show more content…
Dan teamed up with a worldwide human rights organization called Amnesty International with a campaign called “Wailing Walls” to bring attention to prisoners who are locked away and hidden because of their political views. The campaign uses eight photorealism images that Dan created and social media to expose the injustice. Each image is a prisoner locked away; some are blindfolded, leaning on a prison cell door and others show fingers reaching through the tiny holes of a prison cell. The images are compelling. Iin addition, the images become a part of social media with a QR code and a phone app to learn more about each person represented in the piece. People can instantly leave a message for government officials on the wall to protest the imprisonment of the individual they are viewing. As a result, the art campaign has become a voice for the prisoners who have been silenced behind prison
The idea that art can be a service to people- most importantly a service to poor and disenfranchised people is one that may be disputed by some. However, Elizabeth Catlett and other artists at the taller de Graffica Popular have proved that art could be made to service the poor. Catlett in particular is someone who has always used her art to advocate for the poor and fight injustices. While her activism and political views were very impactful, they were also very controversial. Catlett`s art and activism influenced African American and Latin American art by changing the narratives of Black and Brown working class women. In their books titled Gumbo Ya Ya, The Art of Elizabeth Catlett, African American Art: The Long Struggle, and Elizabeth Catlett: Works on Paper authors Leslie King-Hammond, Samella S. Lewis, Crystal Britton, Elizabeth Catlett, and Jeanne Zeidler speak of the work of Catlett. In a paper titled -----, ---- also speaks of the work of Elizabeth Catlett and her legacy as an activist.
People can have many different opinions depending on a topic, but what is truly difficult is getting a complete level of understanding from every opinion, or understanding the point of view of each opinion. Even accepting the points of view can be difficult for some people, who believe that their opinions are right. Luckily, people can learn about the other person’s frame of reference, and at the very least understand the topic or the person a little better. This particular topic is art, which is known for its multiple possible perceptions or its many different messages that it can send a person or group of people. In this way, people can learn more about the thought processes and feelings of others. Unfortunately, with differing opinions,
I’ve always been a fan of art and activism. Together, both create a powerful voice that builds community and initiates change. Even through my years of activism through writing, I love discovering other ways voices of marginalized people are heard using artistic expression.
What is art and how is it used as a tool for communication? These multifaceted questions are answered by analyzing ancient and modern art. In the article “When Art Loses Its Sting: The evolution of Protest Art in Authoritarian Contexts” Jacqueline Adams explains how art captures the interest of sociologists. Art executes a unique duality in society. In both recent and ancient history, art has been used as propaganda. Now, contemporary art works to challenge or protest ideologies. Analyzing art provides an interesting insight: the art of today holds as much influence as it did in history. Art has not “lost its sting,” but rather gained a phenomenal impact.
In just this year alone, American society has been divided by political views that have affected our common sense. Destroying property and disobeying laws has been a way people use to revolt against their political views. An alternative to ruining art could be moving it, and unless the state where the artwork is located allows it, art should not be taken down or vandalized. If the artwork is handled lawfully, then it would be appropriate to move the artwork and this way it is not promoting hate or illegal acts. It is understandable why someone might become offended by artwork that is contradicting to their culture and values. Sometimes the phenomenology of a piece of artwork can impact the effect it has on a person. If a statute makes you feel inferior, you might feel critical towards it. However, destroying the piece is not a good way to handle the situation because it doesn’t show a moral or lawful way of resolving the conflict. Instead, when someone destroys artwork, it just causes more hate to develop and grow, instead of handling the situation peacefully. Overall, if our collective culture used peaceful protest, it would be more effective and moral, because no illegal acts or emotionally driven consequences will destroy
(Brown, 2014, #178) Michelle Brown's study on counter-images and resistance in confronting prison narratives is of utmost importance. She analyzes the utilization of visual media by underrepresented populations to challenge conventional notions and promote fairness. Brown's work is pertinent to the struggle against mass imprisonment, which specifically targets achieving racial, socioeconomic, gender, and sexual equality. She underscores the potency of protest art and documentary photography in challenging power hierarchies and raising the voices of underprivileged persons.
Rhys Southan’s essay “Is Art a Waste of Time?” is about art and if it can really help people who are suffering or is it just better to hand over your money. In Yo-Yo Ma’s essay “necessary Edges: Arts, Empathy, and Education” he focuses more on art being used as educational purposes to essentially create more innovative/empathetic people. Instead of focusing so much on STEM, the author states that we should incorporate art too. Although some people might say art does not play a role in making the world a better place. I believe it can by bringing awareness to different social issues. Also, if we incorporate art at a young age it can teach kids to be open minded and happier people.
Activism comes in all shapes and sizes, and when someone does it in an unusual way it cannot go unnoticed. Banksy’s “The Flower Thrower” is a perfect example of this due to the fact that it’s vandalism with a deeper meaning. The man known as Banksy is a graffiti artist and a political activist, and the most intriguing thing about him is that he chooses to remain anonymous. There are many theories about his identity, one even claiming that he is a fictional character. Despite proof of his identity, several countries are on the look out for him. Many have even issued warrants for his arrest because his public works are considered vandalism. His paintings are known for making people question their everyday lives and really
This summer if you were on social media you heard about the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. The concept was simple, just film yourself dumping a bucket of ice water over your head, challenge your friends to do the same, and donate ten dollars to the ALS Association. Opt out and donate one hundred dollars (Madison). Many Americans did not know what ALS was and by putting this challenge on social media has brought tons awareness to this devastating disease. Activism used to be taking action to bring social change, people in the 1960s used to gather in front of community centers and protest and or speak about their issue or cause. Now even though people still gather together it is much easier to use the internet. Hundreds of social media applications
In today’s society anything can be considered “Art”. From the great sounds of a symphony, to the architecture of a modern structure, or even an elephant painting with its trunk, art is what the viewer perceives it to be. Individuals will always agree or disagree with the message behind a certain piece of art, as pieces can be offensive to some, but beautiful to others. Some argue that funding the arts in school is a waste of money, time, or a combination of both, but the benefits outweigh the negatives by far, due to a variety of reasons.
Having the ability to shape a student’s life is truly a gift; so many of my art teachers inspired me to follow my dreams. After hearing Taylor Mali’s poem, What Teachers Make, I knew that I wanted to be a teacher: I want to make a difference. Mali spoke with so much passion as he answered the age old question ‘what do teachers make.’ “I make parents see their children for who they are and who they can be,” this quote really moved me because I think in a lot of situations students’ talents are overlooked by their parents (Mali.) My art teachers always had their hand in the community creating sculptures for the local fire department or crocheting hats and baby booties. I feel good teaching shows students how to apply the knowledge they learned. I want to model what they learned so they can apply it to their everyday life. I attend to teach my students to be active members of society and be aware and respectful of others’ culture, and teach them how to apply the skills they learn in art in their everyday life.
Art triggers emotions, and all human beings share the same hormones, which is why they have identical emotions. This creates a medium of communication that everyone can use and understand. No language, culture, age, or gender is a barrier. As part of my community-service experience, I visited Zanzibar with a volunteer group. My favorite project from that trip was painting a school wall with a diverse group of impoverished Africans. Throughout the entire experience, that was the first time I felt connected to them. We would usually read simple stories to African children, teach them simple math, or play simple sports with them. The gap between us and the African children was always there; we always felt different and it was extremely difficult to conduct conversation, because only a small portion of them would understand what we were trying to say. With painting the wall, however, no one found any difficulty with communicating. When we were done, I stood back to contemplate the art and noticed Sefu standing next to me, we both gave each other a look of satisfaction without saying anything. Mette Holme Ingeberg, Britt-Maj Wikstrøm, and Arild Berg (2012) studied the effect of art on communication in a hospital setting. Their study focused on how the use of art stimulated conversations between the nurses and the patients. They found out that “art can reveal stories from patients’ lives that staff otherwise may not have been able to access,”
A person’s difference does not always need to be seen as a source of controversy. It could be used for a good, constructive cause. For example, an artist’s creative ideas should be allowed to flow freely by giving them adequate media to express them, instead of inhibiting them.
It is a selfless act of trying to improve where we live with nothing expected in return, the least people could do is respect it. Moreover, artists like Banksy make an effort to put across a political message. Banksy is a famous London street artist whose identity still remains a mystery. Article 10 of the Human Rights states, “the freedom of expression”, these include the forms of “political expression, artistic expression and commercial expression”. Street art evidently appears under this right, however, it is shockingly not accepted by all. There is no element of selfishness found in street art, yet people seem to have an inherent dislike to the subject. If there was no street art around us, imagine how dull our cites would be. In addition to this, street art holds many more advantages on top of
Protest art can be seen as a mirror or guide of social change. Protest art during Apartheid, the Cold War and for animal rights does not only state a problem but it gives society a reason of solution. Thus protest art has proven to be socially effective.