Art as an Agent for Social Change explores through original research, experiences, and personal narratives the role of the arts in bringing forth social change within three interconnected themes: community building, collaborations, and teaching and pedagogy.
This inspirative and hopeful collection demonstrates that the arts and humanities are entering a renaissance that stands to change the direction of our communities. Community leaders, artists, educators, scholars, and professionals from many fields show how they are creating responsible transformations through partnership in the arts and humanities. The diverse perspectives that come together in this book teach us how to perceive our lives and our disciplines through a broader context. The contributions exemplify how individuals, groups, and organizations use artistic and humanistic principles to explore new structures and novel ways of interacting to reimagine society. They refresh and reinterpret the ways in which we have traditionally assigned space and value to the arts and humanities.
Imagining Science brings together internationally recognized artists, scientists, and social commentators to feature a body of original artwork and essays which explores the complex legal, ethical, and social concerns about advances in biotechnology, such as stem cell research, cloning, and genetic testing. Many important questions and themes emerge from this exchange, highlighting the linkages between scientific and creative research. This collaboration also stresses the vital role art can play in critiquing these biomedical technologies, particularly as advancements in science begin to challenge our ethical boundaries.
We engage with works of art in many ways, yet almost all modern philosophers of art have focused entirely on one mode of engagement: disinterested attention. Nicholas Wolterstorff explores why this is, and offers an alternative framework according to which arts are a part of social practice, and have different meaning in different practices.
It has always been the case that the teaching of art has had to deal with social changes. We are currently facing historic challenges and phenomena which we could never have imagined – the global financial crisis, the massive migration flows, and the ubiquitous spread of new technologies in our everyday life. Creative competence is needed for overcoming the disciplinary boundaries and in order to make equal opportunities for education possible in a diverse society. This publication takes a critical look at the role of art and design education amidst these social changes – using theoretical reflection, practical experience, and empirical analysis.
Museums everywhere have the potential to serve as agents of change—bringing people together, contributing to local communities, and changing people’s lives. So how can we, as individuals, radically expand the work of museums to live up to this potential? How can we more fiercely recognize the meaningful work that museums are doing to enact change around the relevant issues in our communities? How can we work together to build a stronger culture of equity and care within museums ? Questions like these are increasingly vital for all museum professionals to consider, no matter what your role is within your institution. They are also important questions for all of us to be thinking about more deeply as citizens and community members. This book is about the work we need to do to become changemakers and demand that that our museums take action toward positive social change and bring people together into a more just, equitable, compassionate, and connected society. It is a journey toward tapping the energies within all of us to make change happen and proactively shape a new future.
"This reader gathers together an international selection of artists' proposals, manifestos, theoretical texts and public declarations that focus on the question of political engagement and the possibility of social change"--Back cover.
In 9.5 Theses on Art and Class, Ben Davis takes on a broad array of contemporary art's most persistent debates: How does creative labor fit into the economy? Is art merging with fashion and entertainment? What can we expect from political art? Davis argues that returning class to the center of discussion can play a vital role in tackling the challenges that visual art faces today, including the biggest challenge of all--how to maintain faith in art itself in a dysfunctional world.
How can artist-scientist collaboration be of value to science and technology organizations? This innovative book is one of the first to address this question and the emerging field of art-science collaboration through an organizational and managerial lens. With extensive experience collaborating with and advising institutions to develop artist in residency programs, the author highlights how art-science collaboration is such a powerful opportunity for forward-thinking consultants, managers and institutions. Using real-life examples alongside cutting edge research, this book presents a number of cases where these interactions have fostered creativity and led to heightened innovation and value for organizations. As well as creating a blueprint for successful partnerships it provides insights into the managerial and practical issues when creating art-science programs. Invaluable to scholars and practitioners interested in the potential of art-science collaboration, the reader will be shown how to take an innovative approach to creativity in their organization or research, and the ways in which art-science collaborations can mutually benefit artists, scientists and companies alike.