Arts for Social Justice
Program Sponsor: Ontario Trillium FoundationThe Arts for Social Justice (ASJ) program is a three-year initiative that aims to promote the arts as catalysts to tackle social issues in society. It does this through high school workshops and emerging artists residencies.
In the ASJ High School program, VIBE Arts partners professional artists of two different disciplines, to deliver idea-led workshops in Toronto high schools. Students produce collaborative, community directed and generated artworks, that address an injustice or inequality that the youth are passionate about and would like to act upon. These projects provide an opportunity for youth to gain artistic experience and expertise from professional artist facilitators. Youth also develop a strong sense of agency by strengthening and amplifying their artistic voices and exploring oppressions and injustices through a creative advocacy lens, which focuses on personal action, systemic change and solutions.
ASJ residencies ask VIBE Arts emerging artists to bring forth a social justice issue they want to explore, select an art medium, and a relevant and unexpected public location where the art-making will happen. These residencies are intended to engage the public with contemporary art and artists while providing the emerging artist with a platform to raise awareness and mobilize change. Residencies have taken place in police stations, Salvation Army Stores, Community Centers, and empty storefronts, and have tackled issues of shadeism, homelessness, consumerism in fashion, and police-community relations.
The following resources have been put together to provide you with information on social justice and the arts, so that you may introduce social justice and activist art projects in your own classroom or unexpected community location.
Learning material
Arts for Social Justice Education Readings
Visual Arts Education & Social Justice Education
Music Education & Social Justice Education
Dance Education & Social Justice Education
Drama Education & Social Justice Education
To download a document below, click the “Pop-out” icon on the top right corner of the PDF.
Racial Inequality and Arts Education
Gender Issues and Arts Education
Indigenous Knowledge and Arts Education
Ability, Inclusion and Arts Education
Environmental Issues and Arts Education
Arts for Social Justice Resources
Organizations and Resources for Social Justice in Education
Educator Resources – Facing History
Canadian Civil Liberties Association – Education Trust (CCLET)
Education resources for High Schools – Canadian Civil Liberties Education Trust
Education resources for High Schools – Canadian Civil Liberties Education Trust
https://ccla.org/education/high-school/
Teacher Resources – Hexagon Project
Organizations and Resources for Social Justice in the Arts
Art and Social Justice Working Group – Vera List Centre for Art and Politics
The Hexagon Project
Ontario Arts Council – A Community Engaged Art Workbook
International Centre for Art and Social Change – Report on Art for Social Change in Canada 2016
https://icasc.ca/sites/default/files/resource_attachments/stateoftheart_en.pdf
Image and Media Galleries
Feminist Art Base from the Brooklyn Museum
https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/eascfa/feminist_art_base/?i=1111
These are the Artists of the Civil Rights Movement
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/12/civil-rights-art_n_4769268.html
54 Musicians for Social Justice
Artists as Activists: Pursuing Social Justice – Huffington Post article
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/amy-pleasant/artists-as-activists-purs_b_11783614.html
Videos
Art and Social Change – PBS Learning Media
https://www.pbslearningmedia.org/collection/art_socialjustice/
How Art Creates Social Change in 5 TED Talks
http://cloudhead.org/2013/09/03/the-power-of-art-to-affect-social-change-shown-in-5-ted-talks/
Powerful Art Activism – TED Playlist
Fitzroy Facey and Kevin Ye - Living Wall
