‘Artivism’ inspires social change

There is sometimes a concern that an arts degree will not amount to much productivity in a world where talent alone is enough for artists to compete without wasting time in college “studying” art. This was a huge question I faced before deciding to opt out of a degree in theater.

There is something astounding happening in the creative world, though. That is, artists are becoming the sources of political activism, rather than scholars. “Artivism” takes the common languages of music, dance, painting, etc. and pushes for social and political change.

“Artivism- where edges are pushed, imagination is freed, and a new language emerges altogether,” is the definition given by Eve Ensler on the Urban Artivism WordPress blog site.

Ensler has epitomized the role of an artivist since she wrote the episodic play “The Vagina Monologues,” which touches on social stigmas for women and feminism in general. Currently, Ensler leads the One Billion Rising and V-Day efforts, nonprofit movements to raise funds for women’s anti-violence groups. Ensler was recently featured in an article released by The Guardian.

Art-related activism is not limited to the United States, and the blog site features key global art pieces that push for change.

Among others, the movement includes the Canadian “Bullets for Butterflies” exhibition, inspired by the actions of Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani girl who was shot by the Taliban for promoting the education for all regardless of gender.

Incidentally, the globalization of Artivism probably could not have been as swift-moving if it had not been for the help of the internet. For example, the Russian punk rock band “Pussy Riot” may not be known if it hadn’t been for their YouTube videos.

The group was founded in August of 2011, and by the following February they reached international recognition because of a YouTube video that showed the band members being dragged out of a Russian church by force of authorities.

This was a response to a live performance of the group’s song, “Punk Prayer,” which speaks out against Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian intolerance for specific human rights. The song includes the following lyrics:

“Virgin Mary, Mother of God, chase Putin out/ The phantom of liberty is up in heaven,

Gay pride sent to Siberia in a chain gang/ Virgin Mary, Mother of God, become a feminist.”

A myriad of global news sources confirm that members of the band were then arrested, detained and made to serve time in remote Russian penal colonies. Now out of prison, the band has made international headlines again with another YouTube video. The video shows members of the band being whipped by what Jon Stewart jokingly called “Pussy Whips” in response to a musical protest related to the anti-gay law and the Sochi Olympics.

The Washington Times ran an article last October which explained the concept of “digital activism,” for which apparently there is not yet a snappier name for like Artivism. The article provides results from a Digital Activism Research Project study that confirms  the organizing power of social media.

In other words, if a person is artistic, internet-savvy, or both, the odds that they will have the potential to bring about major social or political change are high. I wonder what effect that will have on the racket of political lobbying, interest groups, etc.

With the gridlock of Washington, D.C. as our guide, I see the future of political progress as being in the hands of our artists and our social media users. It looks to me that an arts degree, when coupled with a strong set of values and ideologies, is not the waste of time I may have thought it was.

Had I gone online a little more often, I probably would have noticed this in time to not talk myself out of an arts degree.

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