Creative Activism: Start Here
Suggestions from the Commons Librarians about resources to explore in the Arts & Creativity topic area – to help you bring more art and heart to your social change activities.
Tag
Creative thinking
Uncertain times & movement moments: campaigning amidst Covid-19
Reflections on the Black Lives Matter moment of the whirlwind, navigating turbulence related to Covid-19, approaches to imagine the future.
Systems Thinking for Campaigning and Organizing
Help campaigns and organising strategies be more effective at driving systems change with this guide from Blueprints for Change on sytems thinking.
Systems Mapping Tools for Campaign Design
This guide dives into 3 tools that can be used as part of a campaign design process: system maps, network maps and narrative power analysis.
Running a Campaign Clinic
Anita Tang shares the process for running a Campaign Clinic to generate fresh ideas and innovations in campaigning.
The Copenhagen Experiment: Measuring the relative effectiveness of creative vs. conventional forms of activism
The Copenhagen experiment took place in Denmark in 2018 and discovered that creative activism was more effective than conventional forms of activism.
Parasols of Protest
Activism and Artivism – Sharon France, graphic designer, shares how she created the designs for ‘parasols for protests’ for the People’s Climate March.
Art for Change: Interview about fundraising with art
An interview with Brenda from Art for Change, a group of artists who donate time and art to help humanity, with useful tips on how to fundraise with art.
Changing the world via shock and beauty: Visual Artworks
Creative tactics for social change: Different ways of spreading messages and information in a creative way, including placards, plaques, projections and craftivism.
Creative activism 101 An antidote for despair
Creative troublemaking! What is creative activism? Why do we use creative tactics? What are the advantages of using cheek, shock and surprise?
6 tools for creative idea generation for your next campaign
6 tools for creative idea generation for your next campaign by Mobilisation Lab e.g. mind maps, idea generation, picture prompts, prototypes, etc.
TED talk: Activism needs introverts
Sarah Corbett introduces us to “craftivism,” a quieter form of activism that uses handicrafts as a way to get people to slow down and think deeply.
TED talk: How to recover from activism burnout
When you’re feeling burned out as an activist, what’s the best way to bounce back? TED talk about creative actions – “playtivism”.
Photolanguage: Communicate through images
A process guide to be used in training workshops, planning sessions and team building. Photolanguage has many uses, including to facilitate self-awareness; deepen engagement and relationships; stimulate connections between intellectual reflection and personal experience; and stimulate creativity in personal expression.
Games and energisers for your workshop
Games are great to use during a workshop. They may be scheduled into the workshop at various times or you may just toss one in when you feel that the group could benefit from playing a game. The games in this handout are separated into the categories of introductory games, name games, dynamicas (energisers) and fun ways to get people into groups.
What ChangeMakers can learn from Brooklyn Nine Nine
Who knew that TV could teach you how to change the world! Embedded in Brooklyn Nine Nine’s approach to sitcom writing are a few lessons about how we can successfully communicate important, difficult issues to a wider audience.
Art and Campaigning: Lessons about the effective use of art in campaigns
Lessons about the effective use of art in campaigns from three activist artists: Tom Civil, Arlene TextaQueen and Van Thanh Rudd. Lessons include: Build strong culture; Represent ethically; Consider your audience; Court controversy; Always remember the visuals; Value the labour of artists.
Building 21st Century Movements
Taren Stinebrickner-Kauffman, Founder and former Executive Director of SumofUs, at Progress 2015 with a series of movement case studies challenging us to be technological innovators and to bring our social change work to the cutting edge of the current century.
Celebration is an Activist Skill
Activists are often so focused on problems – it’s important to take in wins, whether big or small, to sustain us through the struggle. This article includes reminders of what we can celebrate, how, and why it is so important.