Seventeenth International Conference on the Arts in Society

Abstract

Influenced by the social movements of the late 1960s, social activism and art are inextricably linked. Public and activism art diverge where activism art is built on concepts of audience, relationships, communication, and political intention where public art is centered on “place” or “location” (Lacy, 1995). Historically public art is grounded on the principle that offering art accessibility, can solve societal issues, however, public art can’t heal those affected during volatile times such as a pandemic, war, or famine (Mlambo-Ngcuka, 2020). Through the lens of gender-based violence (GBV) during the ‘Shadow Pandemic,’ interviews, case studies and visual mapping methodologies are conducted, to consider new routes of community and avenues to heal so that the disparate elements of personal experiences, in times of crisis, collaborate to define a contemporaneous idea of public. By comparing three art campaigns across different sites and times addressing GBV, gender inequality, and the AIDS crisis, I argue that traditional advertising spaces and street art provide a viable alternative to public art and raise awareness about social issues and promote change. I further investigate how can an arts campaign provide access to resources and relief to communities? How can the creation of street art give a voice to the unheard and address those in need? How has the history of the U.S feminist movement informed activism art?