INTRODUCTORY ESSAY FOR ‘TRUTH IS CONCRETE’

In 2014, Stephen Duncombe and Steve Lambert were invited to write an introductory essay for “Truth is Concrete: A Handbook for Artistic Strategies in Real Politics“. It includes essays from, among many others: Andy Bichlbaum, Reverend Billy, Andrew Boyd, Tania Bruguera, Andrea Fraser, Guillermo Gómez-Peña, Hans Haacke, John Jordan, Kalle Lasn, Leónidas Martín, Antanas Mockus, …

‘No One Wants To Watch A Drum Circle’ (and Something for the Letters Section of The Sun Magazine)

Back in 2011, Center Co-Director Steve Lambert wrote a short piece called “No One Wants to Watch a Drum Circle” for the Beautiful Trouble book (which you can read here). That piece was selected to be included in The Sun Magazine in 2014. After it was published, someone who didn’t like his criticism of drum …

And What Do I Do Now?

Center Co-Director Steve Lambert presented this talk at the Responsible Data Forum in January. We think it’s got a lot to say about how to turn data towards social goals so we thought we’d share it. USING DATA VISUALIZATION FOR SOCIAL CHANGE Those who visualize data can be reluctant to sully themselves in the messy world …

School for Creative Activism in Berlin – THE MOVIE!

In October 2015, in collaboration with Transgender Europe (TGEU) and funded by Open Society Foundations, we travelled to Berlin to carry out a School for Creative Activism Workshop with trans-activists and artists from across Europe. From 8-11 October, we worked with 17 participants from 13 European countries, developing a creative activism campaign to mark some …

How do you measure the impact of socially engaged art? 

In our new Æfficacy project we’ve been working with our colleague George Perlov, thanks to funding from The Open Society Foundations and The Compton Foundation to begin to answer that question. As a first step, we’re conducting a literature review on the topic and George will be spotlighting a few of the interesting things we’ve found so far. Today …

C4AA IN BERLIN WITH TRANGENDER EUROPE

In October 2015, in collaboration with Transgender Europe (TGEU) and funded by Open Society Foundations, we traveled to Berlin to carry out a School for Creative Activism Workshop with trans-activists and artists from across Europe. From 8-11 October, we worked with 17 participants from 13 European countries, developing a creative activism campaign to mark some …

ARTISTIC ACTIVISM LUNCHEON, DISCUSSING EFFICACY

The following video is from a research luncheon hosted by Artistic Activism at NYU (AA@NYU). Below this video you will find selected highlights with time markers so you may navigate each discussion to what might be most relevant to you and your practice. These working research group meetings are a time and place where academics, …

ASKING PARTICIPANTS TO DREAM THE IMPOSSIBLE

At the School for Creative Activism we often ask our participants to put colorful marker to paper and to dream the impossible. What would a “win” look like, without any barriers? This often leaves our participants slightly flummoxed by the freedom of possibility, but then opens them up to new ideas and amazing potential. Watch …

INTERVIEWS WITH MACEDONIA PARTICIPANTS IN THE SCHOOL FOR CREATIVE ACTIVISM

In 2013 the Center for Artistic Activism went to Skopje in the former Yugoslav republic of Macedonia to train LGBTI activists and advocates. We did a 5 day workshop which included history, communications theory, cognitive theory, and cultural theory, as well as practice in developing creative actions, strategies, and goals. We also did an action …

Creative Catalyst Keynote III: Stephen Duncombe and Steve Lambert

CREATIVE CATALYST SYMPOSIUM ON ART & SOCIAL INNOVATION TORONTO, JUNE 11-12, 2015 Creative Catalyst brings together Canadian artists, designers, researchers, industry, and community members in discussion on how arts and culture catalyzes social innovation. In the face of “wicked” social problems, radical innovation is required to change perspective and shift culture. Artists and creatives are …

STEVE LAMBERT AT THE KITCHENER CITY HALL IN CANADA

Steve Lambert spoke about his work in the Rotunda of the Kitchener City Hall in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada on May 22, 2012 as part of the Big Ideas in Art and Culture Lecture Series. The Big Ideas in Art and Culture Lecture Series is a co-production of Musagetes and CAFKA – Contemporary Art Forum Kitchener …

C4AA funded by the Rubin Foundation

We’re extremely proud and excited to announce that we are among one of the first 46 initiatives to have won a funding grant from the Shelley and Donald Rubin Foundation as part of their new Art and Social Justice initiative. “We wanted social impact and we wanted quality art,” said Alexander Gardner, the foundation’s executive director. …