Activism in community
✧Organizing events to spread awareness: Past spring semester, NJCU Dreamers organized events to give space for people to speak about how, at the beginning, of ICE raids and presence and how to stay safe the most you can if you had those kind of encounters and give out resources to help people who are affected by this moment. Helping the community at the same time actively giving light to a social issue.
✧Red Cards distribution: Since last year, places like The Counseling Center, Writing Center, and in other organizations at NJCU had displayed Right Cards, also known as Red Cards, the content of these cards is constitutional rights that protects (or are supposed to protect) an individual by their right to remain in silent, not opening the door, asking if you are free to leave, etc.
✧Boycotting: Many people, including friends of mine, try the most they can to avoid purchasing from brands, services and products that don’t align with their values. An example that has been known is the boycott towards Target and other companies who had donated and contributed to Trump’s campaign, to show the rejection of their actions and deciding to don’t give more money indirectly to individuals that don’t deserve it.
✫ What is Art Activism? ✫
Art activism is art created by the community, which purpose is to address a certain problematic(s) that concerns them and/or directly or indirectly affects them.
Abortion Series by Paula Rego
Paula Rego was born on 26 January 1935 in Lisbon, Portugal and died on 8 June 2022 at London, Portugal. She was an artist who made art using pastels. Though her art she reflected her feminist beliefs. One of these art pieces is the piece that caught my attention during the reading, one of the pieces from the “Abortion Series”.
In this specific piece, the woman is about to get an abortion at home, but not a safe one as it will be on a normal bed and lack of an hospital material. Also, her face is full of entrust but at the same time resign, as there is no safer option available for her.
This artwork brings to the spotlight the reality of the banning of abortions. As the banning will not be the end of all kinds of abortions, but this will just make women go for the decision to get illegal abortions, without proper treatment and care, opening the door not only for infections but even for death. Additionally, the fact this painting partly helped on the decision of changing the population in Portugal towards abortions and nowadays abortions are legal in this country.
✫ ⊂◉‿◉γ€ Quotes from the readings ✫:
✫ The Art of Activism ✫
✧Pag 12. “The first rule of Guerilla Warfare is to know the terrain and use it to your advantage.”
I see this phrase as we must look outside out bubble and see our surroundings and problematics to use as fuel for advocating through art. Sometimes is unexpected from where art can come from, and usually, if you can dig deeply into a topic or social issue, you could probably not only in some way lighten yourself but also giving light to the problem as a person who had either witnessed it or lived it.
✧Pag 24. “Politics is about people's perceptions of the truth, their feelings about facts, and their visceral experiences of the world.”
People often believe that being left wing and just using left-wing biased sources, using it as the only one veridic information. However, we can’t take all information that aligns with our beliefs as veridic sources, because we would fall into the same trap we criticize.
✫ An Introduction to Art Activism ✫
✧“But examples of political art can also be found as early as the 18th century.”
It is very surprising how often people underestimate activist art, when most if not many of famous paintings are politically fueled. And, in art history, multiple art pieces were manipulated, hidden or even destroyed. These paintings would often represent a resistance towards the political values from that era, in other cases, to erase history. For example, monarchies will over paint the painting of somebody else just to erase their legacy.
✧“The beginning of the Dadaist movement in the early 20th century led to the creation of several activist artworks.”
I had noticed it is very recurrent to art to create a new art moment during or after hard times. As after war many art movements as Dadaism appear for artists who want to go not only outside the rules but outside our world, at the same time they embrace the chaos after war, finding some way in this chaos in an already chaotic world.
✫ 8 Artists Using Their Creativity to Drive Activism ✫
✧“There’s more than one way to be an activist, and that is to say, there’s more than one way to raise your voice and speak up in the name of change.”
I feel this phrase is powerful, as many people think activism is just going to protest, conferences, etc. However, to speak up doesn't mean words are needed, art has always been a medium which artists use to show off what they want to the world, either themselves or, in this case, problematics that brings their attention to it.
✧“...becomes a voice for the silenced, reminding us of the impact that art can have in challenging oppressive systems and fueling hope for a brighter future.”
Unfortunately, even nowadays, many artists have been banned from their countries by making art that is against their country's beliefs and/or agenda. Additionally, reminds me how in Venezuela, people have been using paper money that has literally no monetary value for sculpture, trying to give it a new value/meaning. Trying to see the positive aspect by making art pieces with something that is part of the gigantic monetary crisis in Venezuela.
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