Creative Activism

May 20, 2021

What is it?

Creative activism can be defined as the engagement of citizens in temporary, strategically manufactured, transformative interventions in order to change society for the better. The Center for Artistic Activism describes how creative activism helps “people marginalized from other spheres of influence such as law, politics and business to use their own unique perspectives to gain power, representation and real political change.”

The global pandemic has given rise to a new wave of creative activism: people using creativity and culture to stimulate social change. Around the world, we’ve seen citizens, artists and activists inventing new ways to protest, resist and challenge the forces threatening society and human rights.

From Keith Haring’s art and AIDS activism to 2018’s giant Trump Baby balloon, people are harnessing art and popular culture to shake things up, start a conversation and move from feeling to acting.

So what?

There are three key ingredients that make creative activism extraordinarily compelling:

1) it operates outside of the constraints of organised events
2) it’s available to everyone
3) It moves people to act by making social issues immediate and personal.

As people protest and demand change in new and powerful ways, charities need to let go of their previous tight hold on control of brand and message in order to connect with supporters and empower them to shout from the rooftops for a cause they believe in.

“I call on people to be 'obsessed citizens,' forever questioning and asking for accountability. That's the only chance we have today of a healthy and happy life.”

Ai Weiwei

WHO'S AT IT

Illustration by Anastasya Eliseeva

Creative collectives in Myanmar are rejecting the military coup and galvanising the pro-democracy movement by adopting language and gestures from films, repurposing memes, performing subversive hip-hop, reviving protest songs and sharing designs online. Faced with internet blackouts and censorship, artists and activists have protested in increasingly imaginative and resourceful ways. Symbols of resistance, like the three-finger salute from The Hunger Games, have become common ways to unite with pro-democracy movements in neighbouring countries, attracting global recognition and support.

Around the UK, crisp packets are being made into thermal blankets for the homeless by teachers, students, care home residents, nurses, pub managers and the formerly homeless, in a leaderless, collective movement. A teacher from Exeter launched a local drive inspired by the crisp packet waste generated by her students and their enthusiasm for community work. People have written messages of encouragement inside the wrappers, to the people who will use them.

Shane Brown, marine photographer, uses TikTok to share videos of him collecting plastic debris from Hawaiian oceans. He wants to educate his eight million followers about the harmful impacts of commercial fishing on marine life, and to inspire them to follow his example. He told Global Citizen “I know that it’s not just the ocean that I’m cleaning up on my own. I’m also teaching people that they can go out and do that on their own and that it doesn’t take much to do.”

Photography Mathias Karl Gontard

Gen Z musician George Riley uses her music as protest. She recently released a new single, ‘cleanse me’, with lyrics speaking to “the whitewashing and commodification of climate activism”. The artist told i-D magazine “I think, in general, if your activism is detached from how race and class intersect, you will fail to create substantively equitable solutions.”

ActionAid has produced Artful Activism: A Toolkit for Creative Activism, based on three years of collaborative research with partners in the UK, Uganda and Bangladesh. It’s designed to be used by anyone, including “youth activists and practitioners seeking alternative, creative strategies and approaches to change”. The kit features a range of tools, examples of how they’ve been used, theories to support them, and links to related resources and initiatives

Act now

1. Collaborate - Partnerships with cultural creators:

Artists, activists, collectives and cultural influencers are already at work on creative campaigns driving change. Many will have an active interest in working with the third sector to add clout and broaden their reach. How can you build relationships with them and add value to their projects? How can you co-create meaningful project-based campaigns that fuse activism with creativity?

2. Consider - The threat to the arts:

For many practitioners, activism is part of their creative work, which is currently under threat due to drastic funding cuts. How can you champion the safeguarding of the arts, to support these practitioners, and protect the health and sustainability of this work in the future? What’s your capacity to help artists through funding, resources, advocacy, and other kinds of support?

3.Experiment - With new ways to enable and engage consumers:

The growth of social media has made it easier than ever for people to connect and take an active role in making change. Are you making the most of this widespread willingness to engage in social causes? How can you connect with potential supporters? Look for ways to help people feel like they’re part of a movement, encouraging them to take small actions as part of a larger collaborative project, and fostering a sense of meaning and purpose.

4. Explore - Repurposing resources to support creative activism:

Artists and creatives may have an extraordinary range of talent and skills, but they’re struggling to find funding and support. Does your organisation have space or equipment that might otherwise be difficult for low-income creatives to access? How could you offer valuable resources to creatives, and build relationships with potential partners in the creative space? How can you leverage the creative skills of your beneficiaries to co-create?

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