Art and Democracy

The notion of inclusion is increasingly important in social movements these days. Creating platforms for all people to be heard rather than just for those privileged enough to speak their minds has become a major concern. Exclusion is one of the biggest critiques of social movements, especially the exclusion of those who are underrepresented in…

Colonization never ended. People just accepted the new reality. This post-apocalyptic world for many indigenous communities became the new rational. It is common practice for economic decisions in many Latin America countries to be made by a few elites in power with supranational corporations. The result is a widening wealth gap, ravishing the natural environment for…

In the same vein as Project Row Houses, this is a community development project that was created to uplift the African American community and to help them view their neighborhood as a place worth living and recreating. Gates brought a library and a kitchen among other things to blend urban planning and activism as an…

A group of artists alongside Rick Lowe bought and restored 22 “shotgun houses” in Houston and created a space for artists and their studios as well as community development initiatives such as a program for young mothers. Through the emphasis on the preservation of cultural identity, these houses revitalized a once crumbling neighborhood into a…

  First shown at Art Basel Miami, this work by the Guerilla Girls does not hide behind paint and brushstroke to evoke a powerful and very needed message about the art world. This work is the very definition of what is and is not democratic art. Guerilla Girls succinctly define that art in museums should…

Banksy took a once private place for families who could afford it, into a place less private where everyone is welcome. This was a major art exhibition that challenged notions of consumerism, immigration, and police,  and was much more accessible to the public by costing less than a traditional amusement park.  In its accessibility this…

Bruguera “recompose(s)” the entrance sign to Auschwitz concentration camp as an act of resistance against the labor and demand of our everyday lives. Instead of leaving the work idle in its given exhibition, she periodically brings a Romanian national who happens to also be an illegal worker to polish the sign. Although there is no…

With Edible Estates, artist Fritz Haag asks property owners to use their private land for public good. The organization focuses on repurposing domestic front lawns into public gardens, so communities can grow their own food. Private property owners then give over their land to public use, rejecting the neoliberalist concept that land should be amassed…

Political cartoons have a long history of satirizing authority and illuminating political corruption. They bring together political commentary and art in a way that is both humorous and informative. Over the past few years, the alt-right has gained traction around the world, spurring a number of counter protests. The English artist, Matt Bonner, responded to…

Wearing a safety pin on your shirt has become a way to indicate that you are an ally to people whose rights have been put in danger by the Trump administration. Shortly after the 2016 election, #safetypin emerged as a mild form of protest that communicated to victims of discrimination that there were, in fact,…