Activism in Art
Explore protest and activism in art and find your creative voice to speak to power. To celebrate Women's History Month, this one day course will uncover the ways we can use our voice, art, writing, gestures and sound to express issues that are relevant, urgent and important. By looking at artists within this space and engaging in collective exercises, we will delve into how these skills can be applied to create impactful presentations and find our artistic voice.
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* This course provides a safe, welcoming space that is open to all and inclusive of everyone.
Course outcomes:
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Develop creative protest tools
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Enhance presentation skills to effectively present and communicate messages through art
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Find your artistic voice in relation to activism and create a piece of art
Skills gained:
What you will learn:
. The morning session will begin with introductions and an overview of various artistic methods used in activism, such as visual art, writing, movement, voice, and sound. In celebration of International Women's Day and Women's History Month, we will study inspiring artists like the Guerrilla Girls, Marina Abramović, Shilpa Gupta, and Yoko Ono. By exploring their work, we will uncover how the voice, body, writing, gestures, and sound can be harnessed to express what we care about and challenge societal norms. Through collective exercises, we will brainstorm and form ideas, developing strategies for using art as a form of protest. This session will also focus on finding your individual voice within the broader landscape of activism, helping you identify the issues that resonate most deeply with you and considering how your creative practice can amplify those causes.
Morning
. In the afternoon, participants will experiment with prompts designed to spark creativity and encourage artistic expression. This hands-on session will provide time to develop individual ideas as well as opportunities to collaborate on collective works. We will bring together words, slogans, vocality, and performance through the lens of protest, emphasizing how these elements can be combined for impactful presentations. By the end of the day, participants will create and share their own activist artworks, whether through visual pieces, spoken word, performance, or multimedia. This course fosters a safe, inclusive environment open to all genders, empowering each participant to leave with a stronger sense of their creative voice and the presentation skills needed to communicate their message effectively in the world of activism.
Afternoon
Meet your instructor:
Dr. Sharon Young​
Creative Lead for Future Skills
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Dr Sharon Young is an artist and lecturer at Glasgow School of Art working on feminist strategies of subversion through multi-disciplinary approaches to image and text. She is interested in visual representations of language and voice especially around ideas of gendered and marginalized experiences. She works with photography, moving image, letterpress and performance but is always open to trying new mediums.
FAQs:
. This course is open to everyone who is interested in the intersection of art and activism. You do not need to have any creative background to participate.
Am I eligible for this course?
. All the courses available on Glasgow School of Art's Future Skills are eligible for a certificate of completion. Participants will also be able to walk away with a badge to add to their social channels to show they completed a course.