Post 3- What is Art Activism?- Iris G.

 What is Art Activism?

Part 1- Activism in community. List the 3 examples of activism in your community we discussed in class. You can choose what you define as your community. (your university, your neighborhood, town, state.)

Protests in my county- Sometimes I join marches and protests in my area or within my county.

Social Media Campaigns- Sharing educational posts and raising awareness to current events and calling out misinformation.

Symbolic Acts and Wearable Activism- Openly wearing pins or clothes that are political and show my resistance to our current administration.

Part 2 - Defining art activism. What is Art Activism? Use the Chapter 1 reading from The Art of Activism textbook and the articles linked above to complete the assignment: Choose one artwork from the readings. Research the artwork and explain who, what and why the work is an example of art activism. Include an image and information about this artwork in your short response on the blog.

    Based on our textbook, Art Activism, sometimes called "Artivism", is the combination of the emotional power of art and the political power of activism. The textbook sums it up as "Activism→Effect; Art→Affect", which to me means that activism can start or push for physical or legal change, while art can inspire and motivate a social or emotional change. Art Activism takes the emotional power of art and uses it to protest, bring awareness, and promote change.

Part 3: Add your quotes from the readings to your blog post. Use your quotes to help explain your chosen artwork.

H.W. - 2 Quotes from readings and responses 01/27

Untitled No. 1 by Paula Rego, 1998

 via National Galleries Scotland

    Paula Rego's Abortion Series (1998) is an excellent example of Art Activism. In Portugal their was an attempt to legalize abortion, but it failed because not enough people voted and their was a lot of silence and shame attached to the topic. Paula Rego, outraged by this reaction created the Abortion Series as a response. She deliberately painted women staring directly at the audience. Rego did not paint blood or gore, as she knew it would make the public look away, which is the opposite of what she wanted. She wanted the public to look at the faces and the eyes of the women who were being criminalized and endangered by not having access to safe and legal abortion. Another part of her activism was allowing her paintings to be widespread and available to the public. This meant that her art was seen by more than just the elites of the art world or people who frequented high end galleries. Allowing her art to be accessible to everyone made her message spread farther and reach more people, especially people from communities who were likely the most affected by the criminalization of abortions. Her series actually made a huge impact, and by 2007 abortion was legalized in Portugal.

An Introduction to Activist Art | The Collector | by Stefanie Graf

"Mexican artist Diego Rivera was an essential leader of Mexican Muralism, which often included political and activist content. He was a member of the Communist party and his work often criticized Capitalism and the upper class. The Uprising aligns with Rivera’s own political beliefs by depicting workers and a woman with her baby in her arms fighting against the soldiers and oppression. The work is often interpreted as a symbol of class struggle and the collective resistance of workers."

    Something interesting that I noticed about Rivera's artwork was how the soldiers are all copy paste and lacked eyes and other human features that convey emotions. They is different from the woman and the man who are in the front and have identifiable faces and expressions. Even the men injured or dead on the floor have faces, and so we're more likely to connect and sympathize with them, but we feel more distant from the soldiers. This is effective in making the audience connect more with the workers, than the soldiers, and so convinces people of Rivera's political beliefs.

Jacob Lawrence’s ‘Migration Series’ is inspired by the movement of African Americans from the South

to the North, Midwest, and West during the 20th century, which is also called the Great Migration. The artist’s parents were migrants themselves and Lawrence did extensive research on the topic. The series consists of sixty panels and depicts various aspects of the historical exodus. It shows a part of history that has often been ignored. Lawrence has argued that the story of Black people in America is a vital part of American heritage that should be brought out into the light.

    I agree, Black History is often ignored or even censored in American History. Even in current times, Black History is constantly being threatened, banned, or erased from our schools and history books. It's extremely important for artists to keep making art to push back against this injustice and remind people of the history our country should be honest and accountable for, otherwise how will we learn and grow from it?