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The long co-dependency between activism and art

Sculpture by Hank Thomas Willis: "Raise Up"
Ron Cogswell
/
Wikimedia Commons
Sculpture by Hank Thomas Willis: "Raise Up"

Activism and community organizing are generally about getting people to move: move to demonstrate on an issue, move to vote on an issue, move off dead-center in thinking.

One way to move people is by inspiring them, through art. And there's a long history of the intertwining of art and activism, a story told by Ken Grossinger in his book Art Works: How Organizers and Artists Are Creating a Better World Together.

Maybe you remember the words from older campaigns, but the pictures may have stuck with you as well. We get examples from the author in a visit to the JX.

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Geoffrey Riley is a graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism and has hosted the Jefferson Exchange on JPR since 2009. He's been a broadcaster in the Rogue Valley for more than 35 years, working in both television and radio.
Angela Decker is the Senior Producer of the Jefferson Exchange. She has a long history as a print journalist and is a part-time poet. She's the mother of two hungry teens and too many pets.