New publication! Creative vs. conventional activism

Stephen Duncombe and Silas Harrebye’s evidence-based, empirical study demonstrates the effectiveness of creative activism The Copenhagen Experiment: testing the effectiveness of creative vs. conventional forms of activism On a busy bridge in Copenhagen, Denmark, C4AA Co-Founder and Research Director Stephen Duncombe, along with Silas Harrebye, designed and staged a public experiment. They tested the comparative …

Stephen Duncombe on the V,OID Podcast

The V,OID (or Volunteers, organized in disorder) podcast focuses on interviewing key organizers, community builders, and ecological harmonists that have inspired the podcast creators in their efforts. In this episode we chat with Stephen Duncombe, a professor and co-founder of the Center for Artistic Activism. We talk about combining art and activism, digging into popular …

11: Brunch

We’re back! Stephen Duncombe arranges a Sunday Brunch at Jane Restaurant in NYC. Steve Lambert brings a long his mom as the expert, a former Domincan nun with a masters degree in Theology. Booze and gossip in the daylight For many people Brunch is a socially acceptable excuse to get drunk before noon and talk …

Open Call: Art Action Academy in Dublin

ARE YOU AN ARTIST OR CREATIVE PRACTITIONER BASED IN EUROPE? ARE YOU INTERESTED IN CHALLENGING PUBLIC PERCEPTIONS ABOUT SEX WORK? If you answered yes to both these questions, THEN YOU SHOULD APPLY TO ATTEND OUR DECEMBER ART ACTION ACADEMY! The Center for Artistic Activism and the Open Society Foundations in collaboration with the International Committee …

10: Professional Wrestling

Episode 10: Professional Wrestling! This time the gang heads to Newark to see WWE Smackdown live! This is the first time any of them have seen professional wrestling live, and the most wrestling any of them had ever seen in their lives. Why? Professional wrestling, love it or hate it, is massively poplular. With over …

9: Zumba

Episode 9: Zumba! We took a Zumba class with Laci Chisolm of Fit 4 Dance and learn about real leadership. Have you donated to the Center for Artistic Activism yet? We need money for lasers! Show Notes: “Hard work can be fun!” This episode builds on our Mani-Pedi episode about self care and our TGI …

8: Mega-Church

Episode 8: The Rock and Roll Megachurch We went to the rock and roll megachurch, Hillsong Church, in NYC. Topics: Shapeshifting vs. Speaking in the language of your audience Documentation and telling your own story Showmanship Run your meeting on time Sorting it out yourself vs. being given answers The Apostle Paul in Corinthians Though …

7: Minecraft

…with our experts Sydney and Sebastian Railla-Duncombe. Stephen Duncombe’s kids: Sydney and Sebastian Show Notes Part 1 – we read and respond to your letters! A letter from the famous and acclaimed writer, Mr. Jason Grote about our TGI Fridays episode. Greensboro sit-ins happened at Woolworth’s – Wikipedia – The Greensboro sit-ins were a series …

5: Stand Up Comedy

For our latest expedition we went out for a night of live stand up comedy. Combining local clubs, touring acts, cable networks, netflix, and the White House correspondents dinner, the American art form of stand up is far reaching and growing. We headed to the The Comedy Cellar in New York City with our special …

Duncombe and Lambert Keynote at Creative Catalyst

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 …

2: TGI Friday’s

This month we get a meal at the TGI Friday’s in New York’s Union Square. Started as a single restaurant near the Queensboro Bridge in Manhattan, TGI Friday’s now has over 900 restaurants in 61 countries. Known for kitchy decor, potato skins, and alchohol – but what makes this restaurant so popular? And what can …

1: Transformers: Age of Extinction

In our first expedition we will watch the highest grossing worldwide movie of 2014, and one of the worst. Not to make fun of it (though that can not be helped) but to learn. This was the most popular movie last year and Patricia, Steve, and Steve try to parse out why people saw it …

Dream: Re-Imagining Progressive Politics in an Age of Fantasy – free PDF

 Dream: Re-Imagining Progressive Politics in an Age of Fantasy by CAA co-director Stephen Duncombe is now a  free pdf. Part analysis of popular culture, part how-to guide to creative activism, Stephen make a case for how activists can, and must use fantasy and spectacle in their work…and do it ethically.