Why Art is Central to Social Justice
Even though the mainstream art world is full of inequality and exclusion, art continues to be synonymous with liberation for marginalized peoples. It is virtually impossible to build a successful movement without symbols and icons to rally under. Art has proven itself time and time again to be a powerful medium for change.
Nazis, social justice advocates, and governments alike have relied on art to shift public opinion, yet in today’s era, art is often seen as an innocuous force. This is partly because the subtle art and design we consume everyday is not recognized as such. In reality, design shapes most everything we do and see. It shapes our homes, our technology, our relationships, and how we choose to spend our time. There are few actions in our everyday lives that are not shaped by art and design, yet art is still demonized as a pretentious and useless mode of self-expression.
Something often missing from conversations about social justice is an understanding of of how art is central to movements and ideas. A central element to the Civil Rights Movement of the 60’s was photography. White Americans being exposed to the chaos of the Deep South is part of what helped to push important legislation like the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The Combahee River Collective, made up of black women artists provided a black femme perspective on race, sexuality and gender in the 70s and 80s. The modern-day Black Lives Matter has been fueled by videos of police officers brutally killing unarmed black people, and often portraits of these people become viral after their deaths. History has made it clear that imagery and iconography is central to changemaking.
It is important to not only recognize the many artists who have contributed to social justice movements throughout history, but also to encourage marginalized peoples to express themselves artistically. This involves both a shift institutionally within the art world, but also a cultural shift that places value on art and marginalized artists.
Image: ActiveStills Collective, 2005
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