Projects tagged "Visual Arts"

Healing Torture Through Art
Practitioner:
Najah al-Bukai
Date:
Feb 1 2018
Najah al-Bukai cannot forget. As an accomplished artist in Syria before the war, Mr. Bukai had long thought his photographic memory was his greatest asset, allowing him to recreate scenes on his sketch pads and canvases days, months and even years after he witnessed them. But now, after he has survived two stretches in the Syrian government’s notorious detention centers, his sharp memories only serve to haunt him.
#BeyChella
Practitioner:
Beyonce
Date:
Apr 14 2018
Beyoncé delivered an intensely, unapologetic celebration of Black and HBCU culture at the Coachella Festival 2 weekends in a row. Not only were her performances some of the best live performances to date but they sent a pretty significant message to the world. Here are some assessments of this beautiful demonstration of Blackness and Black Girl Magic: From BBC News:
System Azure
Practitioner:
Jill Magid
Date:
Mar 22 2003
In 2003 Amsterdam police headquarters decided their security cameras needed a little bling after Jill Magid approached them through her company System Azure Security Ornamentation. Originally turned down as an artist proposal, Magid founded her company as a possible means of executing her project. It worked. Not only did she receive the proper permits to beautify police security cameras, but the city paid her to do it.
Book Bloc
Practitioner:
students
Date:
Nov 1 2010
The book bloc constitutes a line of demonstrators holding cardboard-polyurethane-and-foam shields that are made to resemble giant book covers. This tactic tends to be used in actions that oppose neoliberal reform of education and libraries, especially in the form of austerity measures.
Teachers in Their Power
Practitioner:
Kat Clark
Date:
Apr 27 2023
Teachers in Their Power is a storytelling project focused on changing the narrative about the teaching profession.
Soviet Army Monument - REDUX
Practitioner:
various activists
Date:
Feb 23 2014
Since the beginning of Bulgaria's transition to democracy, the monument’s meaning and future has been the subject of heated debates. Opponents to the monument aren’t happy about the presence of such a dominating foreign army monument in the country that is situated higher and more central than national symbols. In recent years, the monument has turned into a canvas for anonymous political statements on multiple occasions.
Activists and Residents Light Up Bushwick with Anti-Gentrification Signs
Practitioner:
NYC Light Brigade
Date:
Dec 31 2015
Since Christmas Eve, some lights along the streets and in the houses of Bushwick have spelled out a number of messages quite different from the festive wishes one usually finds during the holiday season. “GENTRIFICATION IS THE NEW COLONIALISM,” “NOT 4 SALE,” and “NO EVICTION ZONE,” some read.
The Origins of Totalitarianism: A Reading by Donald Trump
Practitioner:
Joseph DeLappe
Date:
Oct 1 2024
The Origins of Totalitarianism:Donald Trump reads Hannah Arendt AI video and sound. 2024, 24:30mins YouTube link: https://youtu.be/RzWi51prZlA?si=hTUP4F-_nOSijbba
Oriental Grocery
Practitioner:
Stephanie H. Shih
Date:
Nov 28 2018
Stephanie H. Shih is a Brooklyn-based ceramist who explores Asian American identity through clay interpretations of grocery items. The ceramicist has created life-size painted clay Sriracha bottles, Pocky cartons, soy sauce gallons, and instant ramen as part of a series Shih conceived in 2018 called Oriental Grocery, to explore nostalgic foods of the Chinese American diaspora.
Projeto Prancha Ecologica: surfboards made with plastic bottles
Practitioner:
Projeto Prancha Ecológica
Date:
Feb 17 2013
All those who practice surfing know firsthand the serious problem our beaches face: pollution. While some only complain, others do something about it. Two Brazilian surfers decided they could help raise public awareness of the need to protect nature of the proliferation of plastics used in the oceans through a novel idea: create surfboards plastic bottles.
Waste Land Project
Practitioner:
Vik Muniz
Date:
Feb 5 2008
The project involved creating portraits of garbage pickers from the Jardim Gramacho landfill near Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, using materials found in the landfill itself. Muniz worked with the garbage pickers to create the portraits, which were then photographed and exhibited in galleries around the world. The project aimed to raise awareness of the plight of the garbage pickers and the environmental issues associated with landfill waste.
The Dance Union
Practitioner:
Melanie Greene, J. Bouey
Date:
Jun 1 2020
Through their podcast, The Dance Union, Melanie Greene and J. Bouey have been confronting racism in the dance world, and highlighting the experiences of Black artists, since 2018. Their episodes cover a variety of topics and issues, ranging from mental health and sexual harassment to advocating for fair pay.
“The Neighbors” Exhibition at the New Museum
Practitioner:
Paweł Althamer, New Museum
Date:
Feb 12 2014
Beginning in February 2014, the New Museum will present the first US museum exhibition devoted to the work of Polish artist Paweł Althamer. The exhibition “The Neighbors” will include a new presentation of the artist’s work, Draftsmen’s Congress, originally presented at the 7th Berlin Biennial (2012).
Fighting Violence with Art
Practitioner:
Sam Ryu, Ethan Regan
Date:
Dec 11 2023
One of the oldest forms of human expression is art, so it’s no surprise that art is constantly used to critique another of humanity’s oldest practices, violence and war. In the world of art activism, the power of creativity and innovation has been used to create commentary about war since the beginning of time. Art that speaks out against the atrocities of violent conflict embodies empathy, care, and a plethora of other human emotions.
If I Don't Get Pants Nobody Gets Pants
Practitioner:
Theamat aka Cynthia Sousa
Date:
Mar 15 2015
Submission for The Line is Drawn, theme "Male superheroes see how the other side lives". Wonder Woman makes the rest of the JLA wear various costumes she's had over the years.
Black Dandyism, the 2025 Met Gala’s Theme, Has Its Roots in 18th-Century Painting
Practitioner:
The Costume Institute
Date:
May 10 2025
A young Black boy, wearing deep red livery with gold trimming, a gold earring, and red-and-white turban secured with a jeweled brooch, stares out at the viewer. Standing before a ship at sea, he hands a letter, addressed to “Monsieur le chevalier de Rohan, captain of the King’s ships at Rochefort,” to an older white man, dressed in regal-looking steel armor.
Chinese Artists Protest Against Japan's Nuclear Wastewater Release Through Visual Arts
Practitioner:
Chinese Artists
Date:
Aug 24 2023
Japan has begun discharging nuclear wastewater into the ocean four times a year, each time lasting 17 consecutive days. Under their 30-year plan, it is estimated that approximately 1.34 million tons of wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear power plant will be released into what was once a clean and fertile sea. Countless marine species are forced to leave their natural habitats. About 7.6 billion people in the world face life threats.
The Georgian artists at the forefront of anti-government protests
Practitioner:
Georgian Artists
Date:
Mar 1 2023
The Georgian government’s attempt in March to impose a repressive Russian-style “foreign agent” law has galvanised the cultural community in the country. Museum workers and artists have been at the forefront of dramatic protests during which police fired water cannons at crowds waving European Union flags, and say they plan to continue the battle despite the government backing down from the legislation.
Conscious Lee
Practitioner:
Bog Fingers, student group in MTU's Creativity and Change course
Date:
Apr 2 2021
Conscious Lee is a public awareness project to help people value and protect their rivers. Rivers are rich sources of life and are vital for clean water. They are beautiful spaces to connect with nature. We all need to appreciate our rivers. We can all help river wildlife and protect this natural amenity for future generations.
The Courtroom Sketch
Practitioner:
Various Courtoom Sketch Artists
Date:
Feb 1 2021
Courtoom sketches were, for many cases, the only glimpses into high profile trails that captivated the nation. Now, over 200 of these sketches by artists will be in the Library of Congress, ranging from cases such as The Rodney King trial, the Watergate scandal, and the Allen v. Farrow custody battle. While the Nation's Library will be collecting these sketches for their historic value, many seek to buy the "art" as an investment.
Street Advertising Takeover - Artist turns billboards into democratic spaces
Practitioner:
Jordan Seiler
Date:
Apr 3 2016
"Two weekends ago, a loose network of these artists and activists, under the name Subvertisers International, launched their first global effort to reclaim our shared public environment from its monopolization by commercial media. The demand was not for better or more truthful advertising, but to imagine what a city would look like when the stories we told ourselves in public space reflected a democratic voice.
George Floyd statues unveiled as cities celebrate Juneteenth
Practitioner:
CNN
Date:
Mar 5 2021
It was a quick turnaround for federal employers to recognize Juneteenth as a new federal holiday. But some cities were ready with new statues honoring George Floyd, whose killing by police in Minneapolis last year sparked a nationwide racial justice movement.
THE SLAVE SERIES: QUILTS BY GWENDOLYN A. MAGEE
Practitioner:
GWENDOLYN A. MAGEE
Date:
Apr 24 2014
The image is stark. And shocking. A black man, his ankles shackled, his head hanging away from the viewer, stands in relief on a field of white. Chains stretching to the image's borders on the left and right pull his arms taut. Fourteen crimson marks crosshatch his back. Within the dark fabric that frames "86 Lashes to Go," a small rectangle is labeled simply "salt."
Artists Buy Trump Campaign Bus on Craigslist, Turn It Into Anti-Trump Art Project
Practitioner:
http://truttartist.com/
Date:
Oct 1 2015
Two artists have repurposed the presidential candidate’s campaign bus in order to critique his controversial views. In October 2015, the artists David Gleeson and Mary Mihelic purchased a Donald Trump tour bus on Craigslist.
Carnival
Practitioner:
Brazilian Culture
Date:
Feb 5 2016
"A week-long party characterizes Brazil’s Carnival, the Mardi Gras of the southern hemisphere. Celebrations and parades are held throughout the country, most notably in the city of Rio de Janeiro and the Brazilian states of Bahia and Pernambuco. Carnival celebrations vary in length and content, depending on the area.

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