Democracy is an art form: imagine a world
Democracy is an art form: imagine a world
Artists care about the world in which we live. Art and activism go hand in hand.
Hello friends,
This week I’d like to talk a bit about art and activism. Artists have always been the ones to reflect the culture back to itself. Artists create songs, books, plays, poems, paintings, performances, sculptures, and anything else you can think of, about the world in which they live.
Artists make things that get people to think, feel, become aware.
Read on for my latest article.
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Love, Kris
Democracy is an art form
We co-create the world in which we live together. Living in a democracy allows us more freedom to create something new.
Artists help defend democracy, and have always done so.
I believe it is everyone's duty to defend democracy and imagine a better world. Anyone who takes the time to help others learn about their rights, register to vote, or get to a polling place, is helping create the world they live in. We can all do this, even in tiny small increments.
I love art and artists. I love being an artist, and I really enjoy meeting other artists, being inspired by them, and seeing what they make. Art, to me, is not about the business and commerce of the art world. An artist might never sell their work, and that doesn’t make it any less real or legitimate as art.
Artists, quite simply, make this world a better place in which to live.
Art makes this world possible to inhabit. No matter the art being created - anyone who creates something that didn’t exist before and shares it with others, is giving to us all, bringing gifts to the world.
A world filled with art and artists has more potential and ability to be a democracy. Autocrats, on the other hand, are not creative people. Art and creativity threaten the autocrat’s absolute power, and so they try to censor it, ban it, and starve it of the resources needed to expand art through the culture.
We know this very well in the US, we’ve all seen deep cuts in arts funding since the Reagan era, meanwhile more and more money is sent to the military.
A world focused on art and creativity has no need for spending its energy creating war. It’s about what we value and choose to spend our resources and energy creating.
Here’s a very short list of activist artists:
Banksy, Guerrilla Girls, Kara Walker, Faith Ringgold, Keith Haring, Ai Weiwei, El Anatsui, Ghada Amer, Yoko Ono, Kehinde Wiley, Judy Chicago, Barbara Kruger, Cindy Sherman, Carrie Mae Weems, Kiki Smith, Shepard Fairey. There are so many more than I can name here, and I love their work.
“How can you really tell the story of a culture when you don’t include all the voices within the culture?” — Guerrilla Girls
Your consciousness changes the world in which you live.
An artist who creates work from within themselves is giving to us all, no matter what the theme or topic of their work is. I find myself seeking out artists and artwork that is emotionally honest, whether the artist is an abstract painter, a sculptor, a writer, actor, musician.
Think of the books you’ve read that opened your eyes to something you didn’t know before - I can name hundreds. What about the songs, street art, theatrical pieces, poetry, teachers, leaders, and others who creatively helped the culture evolve and move forward by showing us something?
We can all participate in the gorgeous co-creation of how we agree to live and treat one another on earth, and in our respective countries.
I endorse Kamala Harris and Tim Walz for President and VP this season. Please register to vote, and please help get out the vote. Democracy is an art form, one that we can co-create together.
Inspiration to make a difference during this election cycle
Please make sure you are registered to vote, and that you do so in this very important US presidential election on November 5. If you know anyone who might want the reminder or encouragement to vote this year, please help them if you can, and thank you!
Vote Forward is a nonprofit organization that empowers grassroots volunteers to send handwritten letters encouraging fellow Americans to vote. I’ve sent letters to 20 voters in my home state of Georgia, and plan to do so again later in the month. It was super easy and fun too! Learn more and participate.
Read all the banned books
The American Library Association keeps track of book banning in America. Visit the ALA online to learn more, then go pick up a banned book and read it, or gift it to a young person.
Have a happy week, and thanks for reading!
Love, Kris