Corine Etienne: WHAT IS ART ACTIVISM

 

Part 1: Activism in My Community — East Orange, NJ

1. Summer Work Experience Program (SWEP)
   In East Orange, the Summer Work Experience Program (SWEP) lets students get summer jobs, build skills, and earn money. It gives us work opportunities in city offices, local businesses, and community projects, while also preparing us for the future.

   2. Pride Flag Raising & Safe Place Initiative

   Every year, East Orange raises the Pride Flag to show support for the LGBTQ+ community. The city also has a Safe Place program where businesses put up rainbow decals to show they’re safe spaces for LGBTQ youth.

   3. School District Protest

   In October 2024, parents and teachers in East Orange protested after the school board voted to cut almost 100 staff jobs. The cuts led to a half-day schedule for students, and the community pushed back strongly against it.

   
   

   What is Art Activism?
   Art activism is when art is used to push for social or political change. The Center for Artistic Activism says it’s “a dynamic practice combining the creative power of the arts to move us emotionally with the strategic planning of activism necessary to bring about social change.” In other words, it’s not just about making art to show a problem, but about using creativity to inspire people, challenge power, and raise awareness. It mixes art and activism to get people to think, feel, and hopefully take action.

   
   

   
   
   

   Silence = Death Poster
   This shows hows the words SILENCE = DEATH in white letters on a black background with a pink triangle above it. The triangle was once used by the Nazis to mark gay people, but here it was reclaimed as a symbol of strength. The poster came out during the AIDS crisis to call out the silence, stigma, and lack of action around AIDS. It was put up on the streets, handed out, and used in protests.

   This is art activism because it was created to wake people up and spread awareness. The bold design made it easy to recognize and hard to ignore. By being in public spaces, it reached everyday people but not just those in art galleries. It also gave the AIDS activist movement a powerful image and message, with “Silence = Death” becoming a slogan for change.

   
   

   From “An Introduction to Activist Art”

   Quote:

   “The broad term ‘activist art’ encompasses a great variety of artists, art forms, and objectives. It takes many forms of expression such as performance, painting, graffiti, or installations.”

   Response:

   This reminds me that activist art isn't limited to one medium, it could be a mural, a street performance, a poster, etc. What matters is the message and its impact.

   Quote:

   “They usually have a common dominator, which is a focus on political and social issues with the intent to change or influence public opinion by confronting people with an unjust or problematic status quo.”

   Response:

   This quote highlights that the goal of activist art isn’t just to show something unfair; it wants to make people see the unfairness and push for change.

   
   

   From “The 25 Most Influential Works of American Protest Art Since World War II”

   Quote:

   “Some works stand out not only for the beauty or boldness of their design, but for how they shape public conversations and stay in view long after their moment.”

   Response:

   This is important: activist art that lasts (visually or in memory) tends to keep influencing people and conversations. It’s not just about what happens once, but what echoes afterwards.

   
   

   From “Why Artistic Activism?”

   Quote:

   “The ability of artistic activism to surprise us – to show up in unlikely places (e.g. not a gallery) or take on unfamiliar forms (e.g. not a protest march) provides an opportunity to disrupt people’s preconceived notions of art and protest, and their predetermined ideas about the messages we are trying to communicate.”

   Response:
   
   

   I like this because it shows how art activism doesn’t always look like “normal” art or a typical protest. It can pop up in unexpected places and really catch people off guard, which makes the message stick even more.

   
   

   Quote:

   
   “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.”

   Response:

   
   This quote shows that activism can feel scary or overwhelming, but adding art makes it easier for people to get involved. Using creativity lets more people join the cause without feeling intimidated.