Amber Ruffin does evaluation

In Late Night comedian Amber Ruffin’s latest “Amber Says What” she asks a lot of valuable evaluation questions of the Trump administration’s latest political spectacle. We may start incorporating these into our work. Some highlights: Why this? What was the desired effect? Why is this happening and what is happening? Did you know this was …

Stop Hate for Profit: Facebook Ad Boycott

The Anti-Defamation League, the NAACP, and the Color Of Change have called for business to boycott advertising on Facebook “to stand in solidarity with our most deeply held American values of freedom, equality and justice.” Their effort is gaining momentum, with brands singing on like Patagonia, the North Face, REI, Magnolia Pictures, and Ben & …

Alumni Anne Basting’s Creative Care

Anne Basting (alumni of our School for Creative Activism) is a pioneer in dementia and elder Care. She “developed a radical approach that combines methods from the world of theater and improvisation with evidence-based therapies that connect people using their own creativity and imagination.” Her new book is called Creative Care: A Revolutionary Approach to …

Call: Impact Prize to end mass incarceration

The Frieze Impact Prize is a new award to recognize artists’ role in the movement to end mass incarceration in the U.S. The prize seeks to lift up artwork that highlights the inequitable aspects of the criminal justice system and challenges its racial bias. Special consideration will be given to work by justice-involved artists. If there is anyone you know …

Webinar #27: Avram Finkelstein

Avram discusses collectivity and communicating in public space for participants of the Free the Vaccine for COVID-19 campaign. At our last Free the Vaccine for COVID-19 meeting some participants said they wanted to know more about working in collectives. We immediately went to Avram Finkelstein who has a wealth of experience with working in collectives …

Amazon, Facebook, HP, IBM, Microsoft, and Sandia join “Open COVID Pledge”

Last week the Center for Artistic Activism joined Universities Allied for Essential Medicines in signing the Open COVID Pledge: Immediate action is required to halt the COVID-19 Pandemic and treat those it has affected. It is a practical and moral imperative that every tool we have at our disposal be applied to develop and deploy …

LM Bogad’s The Plague Podcast

The Center for Artistic Activism Advisory Board member, L.M. Bogad has a new podcast. Check out episode three with Merith Basey, who is working with us on the Free The Vaccine for COVID-19 campaign. I’m pleased to announce the launch of my podcast, THE PLAGUE. It’s a podcast where we look, not just at the …

The Salk Labs: Week One

As you probably know, the Free the Vaccine for COVID-19 Campaign was conceived of by the Center for Artistic Activism and Universities Allied for Essential Medicines mere weeks ago. We officially launched our first week of online training and activities last Wednesday, April 8th. Hundreds of activists, artists, and others from 29 countries joined Salk …

NOMINATE: the 2020 Artistic Activism Awards!

It’s award season everybody! Movies have the Oscars. Music has the Grammies. Theater has the Tonys. But there’s something missing. Where are the awards for the most important art form, artistic activism? So we at the Center for Artistic Activism – created the first ever… Artistic Activism Awards!!! We don’t have big (ahem, any) prize …

Alumnus Gjorgje Jovanovik helps open Jadro Foundation

Center for Artistic Activism alumnus, Gjorgje Jovanovik, has helped open a new space in Skopje Macedonia. Their announcement HISTORY In 2015, the JADRO Association of the independent culture scene started an initiative for establishing a hybrid institution that is to be the first example of a working civic-public partnership. With this initiative our aim was …

Alumni Spotlight: Debbie Almontaser

Debbie Almontaser was part of Center for Artistic Activism workshop in 2015. We selected her because of her past accomplishments and we’re so proud of the work she’s done since! Check out this video about the 2017’s New York Bodega Strike and let your heart swell. Debbie has a new book out also, Leading While …

Comedian Roy Wood Jr. on Audiences

Roy Wood Jr. does his own form of audience testing. In this interview for the Good One Podcast, Wood talks about how he developed a hilarious bit called “Black Patriotism?” for his special, Father Figure. In the interview Wood talks about testing his jokes on different kinds of audiences in different parts of the country …

Let’s Step it Up! Workshop handout

What is this? We wanted a clear, concise list of prompts to remind us of important things to remember when planning an action. We offer this to you and hope it helps. A Strengthening Tonic for Stronger, Leaner, More Æffective Creative Actions The Foundation Dream Have you wandered through your imagined utopia lately? First Steps …

Creative Resistance 5: Success & Failure

Creative Resistance is a special edition podcast mini-series in affiliation with the Center for Artistic Activism and is hosted by Research Fellow, Sarah J Halford. EPISODE 5 — SUCCESS & FAILURE Creative Resistance is a special edition podcast mini-series in affiliation with the Center for Artistic Activism and is hosted by Research Fellow, Sarah J …

Creative Resistance 4: Context

Creative Resistance is a special edition podcast mini-series in affiliation with the Center for Artistic Activism and is hosted by Research Fellow, Sarah J Halford. EPISODE 4 — CONTEXT In this episode, we heard from art activists: Ron Goldberg, Elliot Crown, Avram Finkelstein From Avram (on the context of the early days of the HIV/AIDS …