You wore a superhero cape to work???

Alexia Kemerling, a 2024 Center for Artistic Activism Unstoppable Voters Fellow, comes to us from the American Association of People with Disabilities.  Alexia used creative methods to win big.  “I often come into activism from a space of frustration, as I believe many people do. Artistic activism training taught me to spend less energy being angry …

How Pop Culture Can Help Activists

Pop culture has a lot to teach us about successful creative campaigns. Reality dating shows, tabloid magazines, telenovelas, Bollywood movies, football matches, K-pop songs, video games, and that commercial you can’t get out of your head can all help you generate effective campaign ideas. Are we encouraging you to watch reality TV shows instead of …

How South African Sex Workers changed the conversation

Discover how one organization harnessed the power of artistic activism to revolutionize the sex worker movement in South Africa. From fake political campaigns to skeleton bureaucrats, learn how artistic activism can effect policy, shift narratives, and inspire change. Dive into the story of how SWEAT’s collaboration with the Center for Artistic Activism led to groundbreaking …

Cleveland VOTES: How a Voting Advocacy Organization Develops a Cultural Strategy

Cleveland VOTES came to the Center for Artistic Activism in 2023 with a question: how could they, a civic engagement and voting advocacy organization, create a cultural strategy that would enable them to work with artists and other culture creators and together expand  the ways in which Cleveland voters and communities participate in politics and …

Video + Takeaways – How to Strengthen the Vision of Your Advocacy

Activism, amongst other things, involves being willing to bring ideas to people on an unsolicited basis when they’re not necessarily asking for it? So, what happens when you bring the future to them? Stuart Candy At the latest edition of Revolutionizing Activism: The Power of Utopia, Stuart Candy (Berggruen Fellow at the University of Southern …

Video + Takeaways – 3 Tips for Humorous Creative Activism

At the latest edition of Revolutionizing Activism: Using Humor When Things Are Dire, Caty Borum Chattoo (Center for Media and Social Impact/ Yes, And… Laughter Lab) kicked off our discussion by underscoring the significance of humor across cultures and histories. Borum Chatoo notes: we find comedy in the most oppressive conditions over and over again, precisely …

Imagination Index #1

Hi there, Today we can’t help but think about love, and we find ourselves thinking most about a love ethic. In All About Love, bell hooks asserts that a love ethic “presupposes that everyone has the right to be free – to live fully and well”. And despite hooks’ observation that on a societal level …

Revolutionizing Activism: Can Creative Activism Combat Civic Apathy?

This is a recording of the first edition of Revolutionizing Activism, our new online conversation series between advocates, activists, grantmakers, journalists, and artists. In our first discussion, moderated by Jeanine Abrams McLean, President of Fair Count, we discussed how we as advocates can use creativity to cultivate joyous civic engagement and overcome apathy. Featuring activist-artists …

Rest in Peace Michael Young

This week we learned that United for a Fair Economy organizer and Center for Artistic Activism alumni and collaborator, Michael Young passed away. Michael worked with the Center for Artistic Activism on several proposals to organize for economic and racial justice in the southern United States. He was absolutely committed to equity and justice and …

Alumni “Valu” Obiajulu on BBC World

Everyone deserves a safe and healthy place to call home. In Lagos, Nigeria corruption brings crime to every level of a society and causes infrastructure to languish. Dance can be attention grabbing, visceral, and powerful way to communicate ideas and emotions when political and legislative avenues are fruitless. This is why BBC World talked to …

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 …

Brooke Singer has a new book

Brooke Singer is an alum of the Center for Artistic Activism’s first program. Carbon Sponge: A Guide To Grow Carbon in Urban Soils (and Beyond) Carbon Sponge: A Guide To Grow Carbon in Urban Soils (and Beyond) is the full account of the Carbon Sponge project, including: the science of carbon sequestration, why urban carbon …

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 …

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 …

Creative Anti-Corruption: Facing down the education system in Albania

Diplomas and degrees are markers of ones rigorous study and indicate to others a measure of achievement. Unfortunately, if you want a PhD in Albania, it’s within reach. Just find the right administrator and be prepared to pay. Be careful who you approach because some may prefer sexual favors to cash. This problem makes everyone’s …

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 …

Alumnus, Terry Marshall, selected for Create Change Program

Center for Artistic Activism Alumnus and Board Member, Terry Marshall, has been selected for the Laundromat Project’s Create Change Program. Center for Artistic Activism pal, Aisha Shillingford, was also included. Congratulations Terry and Aisha! The cohort, comprised of 10 Fellows and 4 Artists-in-Residence, will collaborate with New York City communities to develop, deepen, and enact …

Alumni Spotlight: Ibrahima Amadou Niang, IBOU

Ibrahima Amadou Niang (@IbrahimaANiang) is the Head of the Guinea Country Office at Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA) and participated in C4AAs 2016 School for Creative Activism in New York City. The following year he performed at two major literary festivals. Originally from Senegal, Ibou works on social justice issues through his work as an NGO activist and through his writing.