Art & Activism

Creative ways to get your voice heard.

Blended Nation: A Portrait of Mixed-Race America

posted Feb 10, 2010

Photo Essay: Mike Tauber's 2009 book, Blended Nation: Portraits and Interviews of Mixed-Race America, features photographs of individuals alongside intimate interviews about their thoughts on what it means to be multiracial.

We Are All Connected

posted Jan 25, 2010

Electronic musician John Boswell's project "The Symphony of Science" sets scientific knowledge to music, exploring our relationship with one another and with the universe.

The Necessity for Balance

by Milenko Matanovic

posted Dec 11, 2009

Milenko Matanovic responds to the question: "What Next? Now that the page has turned, what stories will we need to change our world?"

Spontaneous Smiley Project

posted Dec 11, 2009

Ruth Kaiser, founder of the Spontaneous Smiley Project, sees smiles in everyday life. Here, she shares a few of her favorite spontaneous photographs.

Cool Globes in Copenhagen

posted Dec 09, 2009

"Cool Globes: Hot Ideas for a Cooler Planet" is a public art exhibit featuring over 25 large globes, each with a different message about climate change.

Behind the Scenes of Seattle

by Susan Gleason

posted Dec 02, 2009

WTO+10: An in-depth interview with Alli Chagi-Starr, a key organizer of the 1999 WTO protests in Seattle.

Buy Nothing Day

by Berit Anderson

posted Nov 25, 2009

A non-holiday founded by a Vancouver office worker has become an international movement.

Journey to Midway

by Brooke Jarvis

posted Sep 16, 2009

Follow the journey of five media artists, led by photographer Chris Jordan, to Midway to witness the catastrophic effect of our disposable culture on some of the world’s most beautiful and symbolic creatures.

Kids Take Charge of School

by Madeline Ostrander

posted Sep 09, 2009

Students at the Albany Free School and its sister school for upper grades, Harriet Tubman Democratic School, decide how and what to learn.

Santa Fe Tells Its Stories

by Heather Purser

posted Sep 09, 2009

The Academy for the Love of Learning created El Otro Lado (“the other side” in Spanish), a citywide public art project that encourages people to learn about one another.

In Review :: Bill Cleveland’s Art and Upheaval

by Brooke Jarvis

posted Feb 13, 2009

Review of Art and Upheaval: Artists on the World's Frontlines, by Bill Cleveland

Art and Upheaval :: Photos from the Book

posted Feb 13, 2009

This photo-essay features images from William Cleveland's book Art and Upheaval. The book tells remarkable stories about artists who resolve conflict, heal unspeakable trauma, give voice to the forgotten and disappeared, and restitch the cultural fabric of their communities.

NYC Union Square Pillow Fight 2008

posted Nov 04, 2008

Feathers fly and teddies soar as we gather for a massive urban pillow fight! Swing and whack as you evade pillow-wielding assailants. Bring a pillow to Union Square and wait for the signal. Pillow fight!

Urban Playground Movement

posted Oct 31, 2008

The Urban Playground movement is bringing do-it-yourself fun to the heart of big cities. Kevin Bracken, who organizes events in Toronto, says the idea is to create spaces for participatory amusement.

WTO Photo Quiz :: 1

by Kevin Sharp

posted Aug 04, 2008

Photographer Kevin Sharp paired his photos of the 1999 event with stills from the new film "Battle in Seattle". You might be surprised by what's real and what's not.