Art as Resistance

One of the greatest assets of our species is the ability to create art that communicates the yearnings of the human spirit. These creations can take many forms with a multitude of avenues available, especially with an aim of producing art that promotes social justice and strives for lasting cultural shifts. Art as documentation: When Miné Okubo is placed in a Japanese internment camp in the western U.S. during WWII where no cameras are allowed, she creates illustrations of her daily life that become the famous 1946 graphic novel “Citizen 13660.” Art as collaboration:  In 2013, Brazilian muralists Osgemeos and street artist Banksy create two mirrored anti-fascist depictions that become known as the Chelsea Collaborations. Art as revelation: Harriet Tubman keeps her hymnal nearby as it represents to her a connection between her faith and freedom, since it contains hymns used as coded signal songs along the Underground Railroad. Art as envisioning: Where can art as resistance lead our own human spirit?

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