Table of Contents
Outline
Introduction
- Artists make use of the different traditional forms of visual, literary or other forms of performing arts to comment on social issues.
- Various artists given in this paper make art that comments on our daily realities.
- Artists work to focus on different residents of a single city or work to reach out to a global audience.
How Artists comments on Social Issues
- Addressing issues ranging from sexism, immigration, and gun violence
- Expression of their talents
Artists Creativity for Social Change
- Artists make use of their art in educating both the younger and the older generation of the effects of drug trafficking, violence, and poverty.
- Artists use of satirical and social engagement to explain the iconic Mexican printmaker to create a legacy in social issues.
- The artist determination in making everyone smile, laugh and have feelings once more.
How Artists Comment of Political Issues
- Opening up space for the minority to be heard while giving them the opportunity to contribute to social changes taking place within their society.
- Both music and songs help to bring a sense of belonging and common purpose.
- The artists use of social movements as their career opportunity; thus many people who hear their songs about political protest are forced to do so as fans and not as activists.
Challenges encountered by Artists in their artwork
- Developing an innovative art project that can meaningfully be engaged well with different issues of advocacy, community creation and justice to all.
- Creation of proposals
- Developing an after school expression arts program
Conclusion
- Artists prove very successful in their work
- Only in few cases they have proved not successful
Introduction
In the current world, there are many artists who are committed to doing work that addresses pressing the various social issue and various changes in how we as humans perceives the world. Evidently, there are those artists that make use of the different traditional forms of visual, literary or other forms of performing arts to ensure that they produce work that comments on, responds to, and comments to need for social change in the society. On the other side, there are other artists commenting on a social practice that works to engage different communities in an interactive exchange. Some example of artists given in this paper make art that comments on our daily realities by making use of different platforms; thus their work addresses social issues of our time (Kottász and Bennett, 2013). Again, socially engaged art is bound to ignite outrage and different demands for change at the same time providing a platform for reflection, collaboration, and guarantee community building. Additionally, such works focus on different residents of a single city or work to reach out to a global audience. Therefore, this paper gives a discussion of how artists have used their art to ensure that they comment on social and political issues arising in the country.
How Artists comments on Social Issues
There are various ways which artists use their art to comment on both social and political issue across the globe. Regarding social movements in the United States, artists have played a great role in addressing issues ranging from sexism, immigration and gun violence taking place in the country. It is through the expression of their talents that these artists can challenge cultural narrative and shift our personal imagery.
Artists Creativity for Social Change
There is a natural connection that exists between creativity and social change; thus the generation of artists and other creative thinkers in the field of art have employed various tactics of protesting various songs, which they use to stoke activism. It is through the use of such kind of natural connections that these artists manage to raise the awareness of oppression, inequality, and injustices taking place in the community. On the others side, the power of art used by various artists to reach to many communities in many parts of the world help in transforming lives and making them much better and bring social reform in the society (Pratt, 2012). The artists have made use of their art in educating both the younger and the older generation of the effects of drug trafficking, violence, and poverty. Again, these artists even fund schools to run programs that help students from various disadvantaged background to have a better chance for them to learn new skills and at the same time express their creativity. Through such deeds, these artists manage to address issues in the society that are much linked to social change. Also, these program engages people, in activities like dancing for the sake of educating them on social issues like violence, bullying, and conflict. Therefore, people easily acknowledges the disadvantages of such actions and their consequences; hence avoid them in future.
It is through the use of satire and social engagement that the iconic Mexican printmaker managed to create an artistic legacy through his sketches of both skulls and skeletons. One of the skulls was honed to mark the politicians of his time. These creations were very useful that they are now part of the folk legend as they personified people to comment on social strife in Mexican newspapers in the year 1880. Argentinan is another example of an artist who makes videos that exist both in reality and digital world. Moreover, these arts are mostly influenced by other political films of his country. The artist’s work envisions a better and a more advanced world. Also, Laura Callaghan is a London based illustrator who makes use of her artwork to reinforce the humanity of human beings who are often objectified. Peekasso’s GIFs is another artist who channels internet memes and pop culture in his work that burst with flashing colors. At times, his work proves to be a rebellion against the rules of aesthetics (Pratt, 2012). Through his art, he remains true to his goal of making sure that he offers a different perspective of life. Also, Tyler Spangler is a California artist who mission is to re-contextualize even images that seem unfamiliar with a bang. The artist is determined in making everyone smile, laugh and have feelings once more. Evidently, it is by remixing as well as collaging imagery from both the books and magazines that Antony Kieron manages to turn all the established rules of space and physics in our brains.
How Artists Comment of Political Issues
Art is work viewed as “uncommitted crime.” Such a phrase implies that art has the capability to challenge the status quo using its nature. Likewise, since art takes place in a public space by engaging an existing ideology, it is categorized as a political work. Again, art can serve as a powerful political weapon once it becomes explicitly political and dangerous. Evidently, art has reacted against oppression matters, injustices, violence, and inequality in the society throughout the history of social revolt and movement. Artwork has addressed many socio-political issues at the same time challenged the traditional boundaries imposed by our leaders (Natterer, 2011). Also, art has the capability of opening up space for the minority to be heard while giving them the opportunity to contribute to social changes taking place within their society. Such activities are possible under production of solidarity and knowledge required to raise the awareness. It is in this way that the artist work changes an individual and gives a sensible speech to the larger audience by making sure that all human and political functions are brought together accordingly. However, it is somehow difficult to trace the beginning of such kind of political engaging artistic expression as many variations of protest art are found throughout the history.
Artistic expression and Art serve many functions in political activities. Some of these works include; communicating to outsiders the aim of the political protest and producing knowledge as well as solidarity in the protestors group. In ensuring that the group’s solidarity is well forged, both music and songs help to bring a sense of belonging and common purpose. Also, music and songs help the politicians to overcome their fears and anxiety especially in many trying situations of their work. On the other side, music helps the politicians to transform their ideology; thus these works are crucial in communicating a collective narrative. It is through such works that we get to know who we are, our origin and what we stand for. Evidently, art forms both the part of the text and texture of political protest (Natterer, 2011). Therefore, once the artwork is objectified and codified, it works to act as a bridge linking our future, present and all past movements in the political arena. In the United States, Hill was an artist who used Christian hymns to transform them into useful political messages that benefited the people. Again, Joan Baez was an artist who used art to portray how the political protest was taking place and how beneficial it was to the whole nation. Moreover, many artists use social movements as their career opportunity; thus many people who hear their songs about political protest will be forced to do so as fans and not as activists. This implies that the political lyrics contained in some artwork might go unnoticed based on the artist personality and the charisma attributed to him and not the song itself. The messages contained in these songs can clearly be heard as they are transmitted in more powerful ways. However, the meaning of manifestation is what lacks at times to the listener in a more meaningful context.
Challenges encountered by Artists in their artwork
Consequently, in commenting on these issues, the artists encounter challenges in their works. Notably, artists face a great of developing an innovative art project that can meaningfully be engaged well with different issues of advocacy, community creation and justice to all. At some point, the project might be required to use an art form, basic conceptual art, photography, new upcoming media, video and different forms of performance art (Pratt, 2012). It is a challenge where the artists are required to ensure that their art is made central to the project and even the presented proposal is required to reflect an informed understanding of particular art they are using. To ensure that they comment on these issues accordingly, various proposals are used. One of the proposals is when the artists are required to develop an after school expression arts program geared towards providing a safer space and other creative outlets to elementary school students mostly those who live in communities with limited resources. Again, the artists have a greater challenge of developing a community garden that seeks to build different community relationships in different neighborhoods (Van, 2015).
Conclusion
Evidently, these artists have managed to address this social issue through the use of their art. Many crimes have been stopped in the community, and people clearly understand the use of political protest. However, it is only in some few cases where they did not do so especially where the fans just did what the songs said and not because they are activists, but for the sake of impressing the artists.
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