Post 3, What is activism? Juan Miguel Marquez

The Art of Activism Chapter 1 Quotes

"Political art tends to be  socially concerned, and 'activist' art tends to be socially involved"

I really like this quote. I've always seen newspaper cartoons or online comics pointing out and criticizing what's 'wrong with society', but that it's it only points it out, it doesn't really offer an alternative, solution or reasoning, just a simple "hey X thing is bad and I don't like it" . 'Activist' art on the other hand, is itself a tool for change, to do art is not necessarily the end goal, but is just a step on a larger  cause for change.

"But facts and truths don't speak for themselves. They need to be made into symbols and incorporated into stories that people can make sense of and care about. They need our help"

As chapter 1 of the book explained many times, simply stating statistics, footage or hard truths won't convince people to change. We humans act based on our feelings way more than our reason most of the time, so to make people empathize with your cause it is important to make them feel something that moves them and lights in then a desire to fight for real change. Art is an extremely powerful tool to share ideas, feelings and inspire people for this exact cause, it is a medium based on feelings and universal human truths.

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

"Paula Rego‘s ‘Abortion Series’ from 1998 is a fitting example of art that had a direct political impact. When a referendum to legalize abortion in Portugal failed in 1998, the artist created a series of paintings that highlighted the fear, pain, and danger of illegal abortions. Her artworks had a great impact and were partly responsible for changing public opinion in favor of legalized abortions during the second referendum in 2007".

Most of us tend to become cynical and jaded through everyday experiences, news, and hardship. It often feels like our ability to change the world and bring positive change in any way is limited by massive  and unfair factors beyond our control. Thus, I think It is extremely inspiring to see that a work  of art like this one directly influenced a whole country  into making a decision that will help people trough generations in the future.

"The interests, hardships, and experiences of marginalized groups are often underrepresented or not discussed at all. Activist art can make these specific experiences visible and include them in historical, social, and political discourse."

This is an obvious statement, but we live in a time where distractions from reality are everywhere and escapism is used to distract ourselves from thinking about our world. The news cycle, social media, and adds constantly fight for our attention and it's only natural that we will get lost in it. Not only that, but the realities shown in these platforms can be so hard, shocking and upsetting that most people will consciously choose to play ignorant and look at the other side. In this regard, Activist Art is the perfect tool to put the truth right on people's face and confront them with the things they don't want to se, which might be the first step in a larger chain of events that could lead to REAL CHANGE.

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8 Artists Using Their Creativity to Drive Activism

"His illustrations pierce through the fabric of authoritarianism, revealing the raw truth that lies beneath. Despite facing unimaginable brutality, Ferzat's indomitable spirit remains unyielding."

I've never been a huge fan of political cartoons as a form of art, I'm not particularly attracted to the art style that most cartoonist use to express their views, however, despite that, I can't deny the immense power that these artist hold when it comes to challenging the status quo and making their voices heard, even to their own determent sometimes. I saw that Ferzat got beaten up by the regime he spoke against, this shows that his art is powerful enough to get to the top, it is also however, a sign that corrupt leaders will not hesitate to use violence to silence those who are openly against them.

"With every click of the camera, Muholi emerges as a flare of hope, documenting the lives and experiences of LGBTQI+ individuals, unearthing untold narratives, and painting a vivid picture of resilience and authenticity".

Definitively one of my favorite artist shown in this article. I love the sharp contrast in their black and white photographs and I love their couple pictures too, there's a lot of beauty in the way that the human body fits into itself when a couple hugs, I've always described it as "fitting like a puzzle piece". I think the photos are raw and genuine. The topics of beauty are explored in a really fun way in untraditional ways.

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WHAT IS ART ACTIVISM? POST 3

Activism in my community

1. NJCU Mental health awareness: Every now and the, when I walk by the G-sub building in our campus I see stands promoting mental health, I see people giving flyers and inviting students to participate in the counseling center or wellness Wednesdays, I consider this an important effort in activism for mental health awareness. I for example started attending counseling in a weekly basis and taking my mental health more seriously than before, If it wasn't for the students in the counseling center promoting their service i would have been unaware of the opportunity the offer us.

2. West New York anti ICE protest: I wasn't aware of this event until i was researching for this assignment. For the last week or so I've heard neighbors and coworkers expressing fear because ICE has been active in my town. People are afraid to be in the street or go to work because they fear what might happen if they're targeted. Just yesterday students from multiple high schools in the neighboring towns banded together to make signs and fearlessly declare that ICE is not welcome here. Local news Jersey Talks Reported that "Students at Memorial, North Bergen, Fairview and Cliffside Park High Schools walked out in protest of reported ICE activity, saying it’s creating fear in their communities. Classes paused. Voices didn’t. This is North Jersey speaking." The most amazing part is that the student led effort was visible enough that they got more people on them. Instagram page Hudpost shared "U.S. Representative Rob Menendez Jr. joined students this week during a walkout protesting ongoing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement"

3. Students protest amid unconfirmed allegations found in Epstein files: At this point I don't think anyone's unaware of the shameless corruption and evil doing that the current administration is doing in regard with the famous "Epstein files". Anyone who's been following the news related to these files will be angry, offended and grossed out with the clear lack of humanity that the people who are supposed to lead us have. Around the country people are going to the freezing winter streets to protest the full release of the files so some kind of justice can be enforced. 

Defining art activism. What is Art Activism?

Art activism or "activist art" is a very straight forward concept, it simply refers to the use of artistic mediums to raise awareness of different social causes for the benefit of our community. Art is a very powerful tool when it comes to sharing ideas and creating specific intangible feelings inside of people, using art in this regard can help activists "cut trough the noise" and get directly to a potential audience that otherwise wouldn't be willing to hear their activist message.