by Ken Grossinger
New Press
7/18/2023, hardcover
SKU: 9781620976722
An inside look at the organizers and artists on the front lines of political mobilization and social change
An artist's mural of George Floyd becomes an emblem of a renewed movement for racial equality. A documentary film injects fuel into a popular mobilization to oust a Central American dictator. Freedom songs course through the American civil rights movement.
When artists and organizers combine forces, new forms of political mobilization follow--which shape lasting social change. And yet few people appreciate how much deliberate strategy often propels this vital social change work. Behind the scenes, artists, organizers, political activists, and philanthropists have worked together to hone powerful strategies for achieving the world we want and the world we need.
In Art Works, noted movement leader Ken Grossinger chronicles these efforts for the first time, distilling lessons and insights from grassroots leaders and luminaries such as Ai Weiwei, Courtland Cox, Jackson Browne, Shepard Fairey, Jane Fonda, Elizabeth Alexander, Bill McKibben, JR, Jose Antonio Vargas, and more. Drawing from historical and present-day examples--including Black Lives Matter, Standing Rock, the Hip Hop Caucus, the Legacy Museum, and the Art for Justice Fund--Grossinger offers a rich tapestry of tactics and successes that speak directly to the challenges and needs of today's activists and of these political times.
Reviews:
"Throughout history, art has played a key role in social movements. Art Works is the first book that gives us an insightful, behind-the-scenes look at the tactics and strategies that have allowed this marriage of art and organizing to turn fledgling movements into forces of lasting social change." -- Jane Fonda, Academy Award-winning actor, activist, and bestselling author
"I'm so excited about the possibilities this book creates--the possibility to infuse our movements with joy and meaning through art, and thus make them more effective and impactful; the possibility to visualize a different future our movements seek to create. May every organizer be inspired to expand our 'repertoire of contention' through art." -- Saru Jayaraman, president, One Fair Wage, director of the Food Labor Research Center at UC Berkeley, and author of One Fair Wage
"Anyone who's organizing and working for environmental justice should read this book! Art Works demonstrates how art can elevate our educational and organizing work, while extending our reach beyond the choir." -- Lois Gibbs, founder, Center for Health Environment and Justice
About the Author:
Ken Grossinger has been a leading strategist in movements for social and economic justice for thirty-five years, in unions and community organizations, and as director of Impact Philanthropy in Democracy Partners. Among other cultural projects, he co-executive produced the award-winning Netflix documentaries The Social Dilemma and The Bleeding Edge. He lives in Washington, DC.