Activist Arts at the Social Forum

I am writing from the court yard of the Atlanta Arts Center… silent with a set of tables under four perfectly pruned trees that look like little works of art themselves. It’s a stark contrast to the hustle and bustle at the Atlanta Civic Center where we are getting ready for this historic event drawing activists from all over the US and the Americas.

And yet, what the two places inspire in me, are surprisingly similar feelings: butterflies in my stomach, a heightened sensibility to my surroundings, curiosity and open eyes and the excitement of participating in something meaningful, beautiful, hopeful and honest.

Look, there is a small child across the space learning to open the museum’s revolving doors. That is what I am hoping to do in these coming days. Learning how to open new doors to this other world that we know is possible and necessary.

There is a large array of activist art sessions at the Social Forum. From Hip Hop to theater of the oppressed to visual art collectives, activists will explore the artistic aspect of social change.

This is one thing I love about the forum: it acknowledges the many facets of social change, so that all of us, no matter what our passion, do find our place in the movement.

Interested in arts and activism? Read the YES! take on art or check out the list of art activism sessions at the USSF.

Not in Atlanta? Find information and contacts for the organizations that offer sessions at the forum by clicking on the workshop titles.