A partnership with Calgary Arts Development and Recess Calgary to build a culture of artist-led civic participation At the start of 2025, we were approached by Canada’s Calgary Arts Development (CADA), a city agency committed to supporting and strengthening the arts to benefit all Calgarians. They had been focused on supporting arts for social change …
Category Archives: News
Special Event: The 2025 Field Tests
Learn How We’re Proving Pathways to Success What really works in advocacy right now? This year, we partnered with four of our favorite organizations to find out. On Thursday, December 11, from 1-2pm ET, we’re sharing all we discovered. Join us and our collaborators — American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), Be The Ones, …
Innovative Leaders Leading the Way
Learn about the amazing members of our Innovation for Impact Leadership Intensive Our Innovation for Impact Leadership Intensive is offering something rare in today’s challenging advocacy landscape. With needs for change high and typical strategies not working, our program provides space, tools, and expert guidance to think bigger and lead smarter. Launched in September, the Innovation for …
Anti-Authoritarian Artistic Activism — The Afterglow
More than 400 people joined us live for Anti-Authoritarian Artistic Activism, but if you missed it, we’ve gathered everything here for you. What We Learned, What We Can Do How can creativity challenge authoritarianism—and make resistance irresistible? Together, we looked at how activists and artists across the world: Scroll down for the takeaways and for …
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We’re a Finalist for an Anthem Award! (cue the confetti cannon)
BIG NEWS: The Center for Artistic Activism is officially an Anthem Awards Finalist for our Unstoppable Voters program! We’re being recognized in the Human & Civil Rights: Community Engagement category, and we’re feeling extremely unstoppable about it. The Anthem Awards celebrate changemakers who use creativity to spark real-world impact, and that’s what Unstoppable Voters is …
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Join us for “Anti-Authoritarian Artistic Activism: What We Can Learn, What We Can Do” on 10/15
[Please note: This event has concluded. You can still complete the registration form at the bottom of this page to receive a recording of the event.] If you’re like so many people we’re talking to these days, you might be wondering: What the heck can I do right now? What actually works to push back …
How One Foundation is Taking a Stand Against Authoritarianism
I bet that, like us, you’re thinking a lot about how the philanthropy field is addressing (and not addressing!) our current moment. That’s why we applaud and thank the Scherman Foundation for being a leader—standing up clearly and proactively against authoritarianism by fueling innovation and action. The Scherman Foundation recently announced that they are “countering …
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What Happens When the Facts Don’t Work?
By Brett Davidson, Center for Artistic Activism Board Member I first got in touch with the Center for Artistic Activism after I read about them on a news site somewhere. My job was to support our grantees of the Open Society Public Health Program in media advocacy. We and our grantees were grappling with the …
An Encore for Audience Energizer Lab
Couldn’t make it? Showed up anyway? You’re in the right place. Whether you Zoomed in live from the dog park, caught a few minutes mid-flight, or are reading this from your “scream into the void” corner – welcome to the encore. We’re bringing back the biggest aha’s, loudest laughs, and stickiest strategies from the Audience …
The most effective weapon against a dictator? A joke.
What if we told you the best way to take down a dictator might involve… an alpaca? Or a sex strike? Or smacking a barrel with a baseball bat in the middle of a street? No, this isn’t a fever dream. It’s a strategy, pulled from the real, wild, world-tested playbook of Gene Sharp, the …
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Winning with Creativity: How to Use the Powers of Art to Have More Impact
A free session as part of Netroots Nation open to all in New Orleans Join us for our Netroots Nation pre-conference workshop Wednesday, August 6th3-5 pm CT New Orleans Convention Center, Room 391 Creative campaigns win hearts, change minds, and move people to act. In this interactive workshop, expert trainers from the Center for Artistic Activism will …
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Action Energizer Lab Recap
Couldn’t make it? Came for the chaos? Either way, you’re in the right place. Whether you joined us live or are just now tuning in, we’ve gathered the best insights, wildest moments, and biggest takeaways from the Action Energizer Lab — so you can catch the spark, keep it burning, and maybe even pass it …
Audience Energizer Lab
Our upcoming workshop to help you reach the folks you want — and move them to act Join the Audience Energizer Lab Wednesday, July 16th | 6-7 PM Want to reach more people — and keep them coming back for more? This Lab is for you. You’ve got a powerful cause or urgent campaign — …
Innovation for Impact Leadership Intensive – Applications Open!
Lead Smarter. Work Lighter. Win More. In today’s advocacy landscape, pressure is high, stakes are rising, and old strategies just aren’t cutting it. Within organizations, burnout is real, resources are tight, and the path to impact can feel unclear. But the best leaders don’t wait for change — they lead it. The Innovation for Impact …
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2025 Field Tests
Rigorous experimentation to win big We believe in the power of creative civic action — not just to inspire, but to deliver results. In a moment when democracy is under threat and movements are pushed to respond faster than ever, we need to know what truly works to reach and move people. Our 2025 Field …
We Bring the Spark to Convenings
Whether you’re planning a campus summit, a national conference, or an online gathering, the Center for Artistic Activism brings bold ideas, hands-on strategy, and joyfully rebellious energy to the room. We don’t just speak at convenings – we help make them unforgettable. What We Do C4AA offers creative programming and support for gatherings of all …
Action Energizer Lab
A free workshop designed to give you practical tools and inspiring ideas to level up your activism. Register now! Join the Action Energizer Lab On Wednesday, June 25th from 6-7 pm ET, learn 9 simple techniques to make your actions more exciting, more engaging and get results. The Action Energizer Lab is a 60-minute, fast-paced workshop designed to give you practical tools and inspiring …
Can fighting autocracy be… fun?
In Albania, a group of activists saw corruption infecting their country’s education system. Degrees were being sold. Academic integrity was collapsing. People were frustrated but felt powerless. Then, those activists joined a Center for Artistic Activism training. And they got an idea. They launched the University of Corrupted Sciences, a fake university awarding fake diplomas …
Celebrate Creative Climate Action!
When Ewura Adams first joined a Center for Artistic Activism training in Senegal, he was already an experienced theater artist and changemaker working on urgent environmental issues in Ghana. But that training, centered on anti-corruption and non-traditional approaches, prompted entirely new ways of thinking. After that experience, Ewura returned to Ghana and applied what he …
Event Recap: Teaching Creativity to Inspire Social Good
Watch the recording, read key takeaways, and get helpful resources On Thursday, April 17, 2025, we partnered with Project Pericles for Teaching Creativity to Inspire Social Good. This uplifting webinar focused on how creativity is a powerful tool for civic engagement and inspiring social good. During the event, participants: The webinar was for faculty and …
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