History of the Arts in Social Commentary
Social theorist Sidney Tarrow defines a social movement as “collective challenges [to elites, authorities, other groups or cultural codes] by people with common purposes and solidarity in sustained interactions with elites, opponents and authorities” (“The Stages of Social Movements,” 2014). American Studies professor T.V. Reed, author of The Art of Protest (2005), reiterates a similar view in his explanation of how social change occurs and who is involved in the action that takes place within a movement. Reed states that social change is ushered in by the “unauthorized, unofficial, anti-institutional, collective action of ordinary citizens trying to change the world” (Reed, 2005, p. xiii). Not only have social movements reshaped the landscape of our political history, but they continue to shape our culture. Art also plays a critical role in our society’s commonly shared and accepted behaviors, attitudes, and values; it helps to define the unique characteristics of our culture. Within a social movement, art provides meaningful avenues for honest expression, commentary and protest.
Exploring social and political themes in art is not something new. The arts have long been an effective outlet for critiquing aspects of culture and the ever-changing landscape of contemporary social conditions (“This Is Not a Protest Song,” 2012). There are countless excellent examples of how art has been used to confront injustice. Reed looks at significant social movements in the United States from the 1920s to present day and focuses on the “cultural texts” (i.e. poetry, painting, music, murals, film, literature, and community art) in and around these movements (Reed, 2005, p. xvi). I will give a brief overview of Reed’s exploration of the importance of music, drama, poetry and visual art in advancing key social movements in our society.
MUSIC
The civil rights movement which began in the late 1950s and continued on into the following decade is one of the most well-known social movements in the history of the United States. The struggle for black equality had a significant impact on the success of subsequent social movements and the general culture of America (p. 2). It relied heavily on religion and music and often appropriated familiar gospel songs into political and justice-themed tunes that were central to unifying the movement and gaining supporters. Perhaps the most famous of these “freedom songs” is “We Shall Overcome.” Music was especially important to the movement’s black supporters because the oral tradition of storytelling through song was already deeply rooted in their history and culture. The familiarity of the gospel tunes helped supporters get behind the new, sometimes radical, societal changes the movement demanded. Music and singing was the “heart and soul” of the movement and proved to be an extremely practical non-violent tool in the civil rights movement (p. 14).
DRAMA
During the peak years of the black power movement, roughly from 1965-1975, pride in black history and culture spread. Empowered black citizens rose up as leaders and redefined many aspects of black culture. Celebration of “black aesthetic” radically shaped jazz, soul music, painting, dance, poetry, and theater (p. 42). The stylized forms of behavior of the black community emphasized a style of “performativity” that laid a solid foundation for the formation of black power theater (p. 52). One-act plays were common in Amiri Baraka’s Black Arts Repertory Theatre and School (BARTS). Dramatic performances, some of which included violent enactments, were used to help blacks overcome internalized self-hatred. Black drama often functioned as catharsis and empowered its actors and audiences for an actual, off-stage revolution.
POETRY
Poetry and free-form written expression was integral to the feminist “consciousness-raising” of the 1960s (p. 76). Interest in gender equality and female empowerment were motivating factors in the emergence of feminist activists after World War II (p. 83). Poetry was an effective form of expression to advance the goals of women’s liberation and feminism because it gave form to the ideas and emotions that drove the movements. Poetry was also effective, practically speaking, because poems were quicker to write than books and could be easily reproduced and distributed. Reed makes an important distinction in poetry’s role during the 1960s and early 1970s: “in ‘women’s poetry’ the movement comes first and is the central focus, with poetry as one of the many means of serving the movement, while in the ‘feminist poetry movement’ poetry comes first and the central concern is to establish a new kind of poetry” (p. 95).
MURAL ART
Artists can use their aesthetic training and skill to “wage battles for social change” (Duncombe & Lambert, 2013). In the 1960s and 1970s, Mexican Americans, also known as Chicanos, used community murals to recover, understand, and celebrate their unique culture while simultaneously using imagery that conveyed their insistence for economic and political rights as United States citizens (Reed, p. 105). The Chicano mural movement allowed artists and the immediate communities to “enable fiction” but still be grounded in hope for reality (p. 126). Community murals successfully represented the radical messages of el movimiento, the Chicano Movement, through painted scenes that were widely and easily viewed by the community. Murals were a popular form of communication to the masses because it followed the barrio model of painted public art, that is, pulquería art (p. 106). They were a versatile form of visual communication. In the early days of el movimiento, murals captured the essence of the movement’s radical ideals. Later they functioned as a manner for disseminating practical messages of daily survival in the barrio.
As evidenced by select examples taken from The Art of Protest, art is a powerful weapon in the struggle to bring about change on a societal level. Thanks to Reed’s careful examination of how social movements have been a force for cultural transformation, I discovered how profoundly some of the major social movements of the last hundred years have influenced commentary and the production of cultural texts. The organic manner in which these creative forms of expression became inextricably tied to, and supported, important social movements emphasize that art is a powerful force for change. The relationship between a culture rich in the arts and meaningful social change is clear. Art provides one with the freedom to dream. It provides hope and healing. Art gives power to the powerless, provides a voice to the voiceless, and has the power to change the culture of the society in which we live.
Exploring social and political themes in art is not something new. The arts have long been an effective outlet for critiquing aspects of culture and the ever-changing landscape of contemporary social conditions (“This Is Not a Protest Song,” 2012). There are countless excellent examples of how art has been used to confront injustice. Reed looks at significant social movements in the United States from the 1920s to present day and focuses on the “cultural texts” (i.e. poetry, painting, music, murals, film, literature, and community art) in and around these movements (Reed, 2005, p. xvi). I will give a brief overview of Reed’s exploration of the importance of music, drama, poetry and visual art in advancing key social movements in our society.
MUSIC
The civil rights movement which began in the late 1950s and continued on into the following decade is one of the most well-known social movements in the history of the United States. The struggle for black equality had a significant impact on the success of subsequent social movements and the general culture of America (p. 2). It relied heavily on religion and music and often appropriated familiar gospel songs into political and justice-themed tunes that were central to unifying the movement and gaining supporters. Perhaps the most famous of these “freedom songs” is “We Shall Overcome.” Music was especially important to the movement’s black supporters because the oral tradition of storytelling through song was already deeply rooted in their history and culture. The familiarity of the gospel tunes helped supporters get behind the new, sometimes radical, societal changes the movement demanded. Music and singing was the “heart and soul” of the movement and proved to be an extremely practical non-violent tool in the civil rights movement (p. 14).
DRAMA
During the peak years of the black power movement, roughly from 1965-1975, pride in black history and culture spread. Empowered black citizens rose up as leaders and redefined many aspects of black culture. Celebration of “black aesthetic” radically shaped jazz, soul music, painting, dance, poetry, and theater (p. 42). The stylized forms of behavior of the black community emphasized a style of “performativity” that laid a solid foundation for the formation of black power theater (p. 52). One-act plays were common in Amiri Baraka’s Black Arts Repertory Theatre and School (BARTS). Dramatic performances, some of which included violent enactments, were used to help blacks overcome internalized self-hatred. Black drama often functioned as catharsis and empowered its actors and audiences for an actual, off-stage revolution.
POETRY
Poetry and free-form written expression was integral to the feminist “consciousness-raising” of the 1960s (p. 76). Interest in gender equality and female empowerment were motivating factors in the emergence of feminist activists after World War II (p. 83). Poetry was an effective form of expression to advance the goals of women’s liberation and feminism because it gave form to the ideas and emotions that drove the movements. Poetry was also effective, practically speaking, because poems were quicker to write than books and could be easily reproduced and distributed. Reed makes an important distinction in poetry’s role during the 1960s and early 1970s: “in ‘women’s poetry’ the movement comes first and is the central focus, with poetry as one of the many means of serving the movement, while in the ‘feminist poetry movement’ poetry comes first and the central concern is to establish a new kind of poetry” (p. 95).
MURAL ART
Artists can use their aesthetic training and skill to “wage battles for social change” (Duncombe & Lambert, 2013). In the 1960s and 1970s, Mexican Americans, also known as Chicanos, used community murals to recover, understand, and celebrate their unique culture while simultaneously using imagery that conveyed their insistence for economic and political rights as United States citizens (Reed, p. 105). The Chicano mural movement allowed artists and the immediate communities to “enable fiction” but still be grounded in hope for reality (p. 126). Community murals successfully represented the radical messages of el movimiento, the Chicano Movement, through painted scenes that were widely and easily viewed by the community. Murals were a popular form of communication to the masses because it followed the barrio model of painted public art, that is, pulquería art (p. 106). They were a versatile form of visual communication. In the early days of el movimiento, murals captured the essence of the movement’s radical ideals. Later they functioned as a manner for disseminating practical messages of daily survival in the barrio.
As evidenced by select examples taken from The Art of Protest, art is a powerful weapon in the struggle to bring about change on a societal level. Thanks to Reed’s careful examination of how social movements have been a force for cultural transformation, I discovered how profoundly some of the major social movements of the last hundred years have influenced commentary and the production of cultural texts. The organic manner in which these creative forms of expression became inextricably tied to, and supported, important social movements emphasize that art is a powerful force for change. The relationship between a culture rich in the arts and meaningful social change is clear. Art provides one with the freedom to dream. It provides hope and healing. Art gives power to the powerless, provides a voice to the voiceless, and has the power to change the culture of the society in which we live.
link to timeline
references
Duncombe, S., & Lambert, S. (2013). Activist Art: Does it Work? Retrieved May 1, 2015, from http://www.onlineopen.org/article.php?id=113
Reed, T. V. (2005). The art of protest: Culture and activism from the civil rights movement to the streets of Seattle. University of Minnesota Press: Minneapolis, MN.
“The Stages of Social Movements.” (2014). Boundless Sociology. Retrieved April 28, 2015 from https://www.boundless.com/sociology/textbooks/boundless-sociology-textbook/social-change-21/social-movements-140/the-stages-of-social-movements-770-7710/
“This Is Not a Protest Song.” (2012). Art, civic engagement and networking: p/art/icipate. Retrieved April 28, 2015 from http://www.p-art-icipate.net/cms/march-2012-symposium-this-is-not-a-protest-song-art-civic-engagement-and-networking/
Reed, T. V. (2005). The art of protest: Culture and activism from the civil rights movement to the streets of Seattle. University of Minnesota Press: Minneapolis, MN.
“The Stages of Social Movements.” (2014). Boundless Sociology. Retrieved April 28, 2015 from https://www.boundless.com/sociology/textbooks/boundless-sociology-textbook/social-change-21/social-movements-140/the-stages-of-social-movements-770-7710/
“This Is Not a Protest Song.” (2012). Art, civic engagement and networking: p/art/icipate. Retrieved April 28, 2015 from http://www.p-art-icipate.net/cms/march-2012-symposium-this-is-not-a-protest-song-art-civic-engagement-and-networking/