Throughout history, both in the United States and abroad, visual art has been used effectively to educate, organize and inspire the people to change their world. In our workshop we will present a brief history of activist art, from small underground comics to murals, including work by Goya, Kathe Kollwitz and the Mexican Muralists. We will give an overview of contemporary community based art campaigns inspired by these artists and focus on projects that have contributed to shaping the world.

There will be a group discussion how visual art has affected participants’ beliefs and how they feel how it is being effectively used in contemporary activism. We will also engage participants in the process of the conceptual development, budgeting and negotiations involved in organizing and executing a large-scale activist mural.