The basic idea

Which one of these is it? Art for activism. Art in activism. Art as a tool for activism. Art takes tools of activism and uses them, for its own ends. Is this art from the grassroots? Or from the establishment? Are we prioritising the grassroots that want to express themselves or working with more established artists to create art that is also activism? Is this activism that is art? Or art that is also activism, that has a political message? Or even art that can be mistaken for activism? See Fiona Banner’s ‘Disarm’, Art the Arms Fair, and Adam Broomberg and Artists and Allies in Hebron.

1) What are the main things we would do, if we chose this option?

Peace News would provide a platform, virtual or real space for displaying/showcasing art that relates to peace activism or art that is activism itself. Alternatively: print media, poetry. It could be a project to stage a production/opera/happening.

2) What are the main needs the project is serving?

This project is a way to support artists who have an important pacifist message. Alternatively, it can be seen as different kind of communication that would reach a different cohort or audience, younger and more diverse. It would also appeal to people as an alternative to literary and journalistic material.

Activism needs artists’ skills, knowledge of scale and documentation (for example, ‘Forensic Architecture’). A conversation between artists and anarchists is also needed.

3) What is the hole that this project is filling? (Are we sure somebody else isn’t already doing this? How much would we be adding?)

Art the Arms Fair, peace museums and exhibitions, Jeremy Deller, Adam Broomberg, Fiona Banner, Hamja Assan. Most of these people see themselves as artists first and foremost or documenting historical actions and not necessarily pacifist or anarchist. They are often using the language and techniques of grassroots activism, but in an artistic context. They are also using their personas and fame to carry their message.

We could add a broader approach that is more grassroots and less corporate. Many more people could be involved.

Another example is found in Pax Christi walks and liturgies. While we wouldn’t want to be religious, music, art, poetry and people’s individual writing are used in their gatherings and happenings: https://thepeacebuilding.org.uk/.

4) How would we define the ‘success’ of this project?

Definition of success could be in the amount of engagement, visitor numbers, recognition, national media. If a staging, it could be measured in the number of tickets sold or of visitors. How do you measure the success as activism?

5) What are some of the main pros and cons of adopting this option?

The main pros are it could be enjoyable (personally), it connects different networks, it could be international, there are more possibilities to connect with younger groups. It is a big question for the art world, how it connects with political issues, how it can be anti-capitalist, pacifist and anarchist and take responsibility. There are also several artists connected with Peace News.

This project could involve many people, like the knitting against nuclear weapons campaign.

I would like to see this question really debated and interrogated. I would like to see people from different groups really grapple with this question.

The major con is that it could be produced on a shoestring but could require a lot of funding and could easily fall into something elitist. The main con is that artists are looking for personal gain. However moving or intellectual the art piece, they gain from it personally which will always colour the activist message.

6) How does what is happening in the world, right now and over the next five years or so, support or work against the success of this project?

Art for activism is an alternative way to illustrate to the public what is going on in other parts of the world, in conflict zones. Art can come from grassroots groups in conflict zones for instance.

7) Which kind(s) of people is the project focused on/prioritising? Who is the audience?

There are a number of different directions this could go in. See final note.

8) Which organised group(s) could we partner with to help deliver this project?

International artists and peace groups, particularly. We could partner with a writer for opera, play and theatre, or exhibition space. The bricks-and-mortar Peace Museum in Saltaire or the online Peace Building.

9) What skills/qualities/experience will be needed to deliver this project?

We would need to broaden our network to include more activist writers or artists, or one interested writer/artist. Event management. Perhaps technical knowledge, for example for projections.

10) What seems to you to be the minimum budget needed to deliver this project?

One small happening, such as Fiona Banner’s Disarm cost £10,000.