Title: Why Artistic Activism? – The Center for Artistic Activism
Headings: Why Artistic Activism?
Why Artistic Activism?
Why Artistic Activism: Nine Reasons
1: Artistic Activism Mobilizes Affect and Effect
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2: Artistic Activism Thrives in the Contemporary Landscape
3: Artistic Activism Has Been Used Throughout History
4: Artistic Activism Creates Openings
5: Artistic Activism is Accessible
6: Artistic Activism Stimulates a Culture of Creativity
7: Artistic Activism Energizes People and Organizations
8: Artistic Activism is About the Long Game
9: Artistic Activism is Peaceful and Persuasive
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Content: When it comes to local culture the locals are the real experts. Activism is foreign to many people, and a bit daunting: it seems to take too much commitment, too much risk, and too much time. ( Oscar Wilde once quipped that “the problem with socialism is that it wastes too many evenings on meetings.”) But that’s why mixing arts and activism works so well. Because we all have a creative life, using the arts – and culture, more broadly – in activist work lowers barriers to entry. Culture, as something familiar, can work as an access point through which organizers can approach and engage people who are otherwise alienated by institutional systems like voting, lobbying, political campaigning, and legislation. Unlike fine arts or political policy, artistic activism takes no specialized knowledge for an audience to “get it.” And, as an art form, artistic activism is always open to multiple meanings and, thus, multiple ways fo