The Art of Change: “Artivism” in New York’s Cultural Institutions

From the 1969 anti-war confrontations at Picasso's Guernica in MoMA, to a fluttering of 9,000 paper bills demanding ethical labor practices at the Guggenheim in 2014, the last 50 years have seen the rise of “artivism,” or interventionist artworks in museums, galleries, and other cultural institutions. The actions and artworks of “artivism,” performed and distributed by collectives of artists and cultural workers, connect art and activism in New York City.

Ayasha Guerin, Andrew W. Mellon Predoctoral Fellow, will lead a discussion examining selected artworks produced for these actions and address the political, cultural, and art-historical references that inspired them. Learn how artists have employed spectacle, symbolism, and collective participation to fight for issues of minority representation, highlight racial and gender exclusion, critique curatorial process, and push for fair labor policies. Participants will leave with strategies for examining the art and artifacts of social movements in the classroom.

This discussion is part of the series Activism Under the Lens: Educator Evenings at the Museum of the City of New York. The events are geared towards educators but open to all with interest in the topics.

Educators will learn about sources in the exhibitions Activist New York and New York at Its Core available to support their students’ learning in the Museum and online. Participants will leave with resources for the classroom and a letter of attendance for 1.5 hours of professional development. 

Light refreshments will be served.

The Museum is grateful to the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, which supports a Predoctoral Fellowship Program in History Education.