The 2025 Field Tests Field Guide

Progressive movements have always advanced through creativity. But today, many activists are stuck relying on strategies that were innovative in their time but have since grown ineffective.

In 2025, the Center for Artistic Activism partnered with progressive organizations to find new ways forward. Through our Field Tests program, we created space for strategic experimentation with four partners across five states and 21 activations.

Now we’re ready to share all we’ve learned with you!

In our new free guide, you’ll learn:

• how to mobilize people in this moment,
• ways to run tests to prove what really works in creative activism, and
• just how vital focused experimentation is for the field.

Our comprehensive resource breaks down:

• All 21 creative experiments, clearly described
• What worked across experiments — and why
• Best practices for designing your own experiments
• A practical checklist for running creative field tests
• Guidance on how experimentation strengthens campaigns, teams, and movements

The guide shows how experimentation unlocks a different kind of success: one focused on outcomes, yes — but also on learning, adaptation, and the ability to respond creatively in a rapidly-shifting political landscape.

As one partner put it: “It’s only in trying new things that you can figure out what works – and what doesn’t.”

We worked closely with our partners at the American Association for People with Disabilities, Be The Ones, Fair Count, and QLatinx. Each of their experiments was different — but together, they revealed consistent insights into how people engage, connect, and act right now.

The most successful experiments:

• Grabbed attention, then created space for deeper understanding
• Invited people to participate directly, not passively
• Matched tone and format to the specific audience and setting
• Used accessibility, emotional resonance, and personal connection as strategic strengths

Just as important: experimentation energized teams, encouraged bold creativity, and helped partners learn faster and more confidently.

Whether you’re a national campaign, a small grassroots team, or an organizer looking to try something creative in your community, this guide gives you everything you need to run your own experiments and learn the most you can from them.

Discover what’s working in progressive activism today — and how you can bring experimentation into your work.

The guide is free, practical, and designed to help you build smarter, more creative, more effective campaigns in 2026 and beyond.

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Want to work with us to run your own field test program? Reach out to us [what would we want to link to here?] — we’d love to work with you.