7.1 The role of art in the Black Lives Matter movement

The Black Lives Matter movement has harnessed art's power to amplify its message and inspire change. From murals to music, artists have created powerful visuals and performances that raise awareness about racial injustice and police brutality.

Public art, like street murals and protest songs, has played a key role in shaping public discourse around BLM. These creative expressions have helped mobilize activists, reach new audiences, and create a shared visual language for the movement.

Art as Activism for Black Lives Matter

The Role of Art in Raising Awareness

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  Category:Black Lives Matter mural (Charlotte, North Carolina) - Wikimedia Commons View original

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  Black Lives Matter: The Emotional and Racial Dynamics of the George Floyd Protest Graffiti View original

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  Race, Ethnicity, and Discrimination | Introduction to Sociology View original

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  Category:Black Lives Matter mural (Charlotte, North Carolina) - Wikimedia Commons View original

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• The Black Lives Matter movement, founded in 2013 by Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi, is a decentralized social movement that campaigns against violence and systemic racism towards black people
• Art has played a significant role in the Black Lives Matter movement by creating powerful visual imagery, slogans, and symbols that communicate the movement's message and demands for racial justice
• Artists have used various mediums, including painting, sculpture, photography, and digital art, to depict the faces and stories of victims of police brutality, such as George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Michael Brown, humanizing them and highlighting the injustice of their deaths
• Street art, such as murals and graffiti, has been used to create public displays of solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement and to reclaim public spaces as sites of protest and resistance

Performance and Music as Activism

• Music artists have released songs that address police brutality, systemic racism, and the Black Lives Matter movement, using their lyrics to raise awareness, express frustration and anger, and call for change
• Performance art, such as dance and theater, has been used to embody the experiences of black people and to create visceral, emotional responses in audiences that raise awareness about racial injustice
• Hip hop and rap music have long been used as a form of social and political commentary, with artists using their platform to speak out against police brutality and systemic racism (Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole)
• Musicians have used their performances and public appearances to show solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement (Beyoncé's 2016 Super Bowl halftime show featuring backup dancers dressed as Black Panthers)

Visual Arts and Public Discourse

The Power of Visual Imagery

• Visual art, music, and performance have played a significant role in shaping public discourse around the Black Lives Matter movement by creating a cultural narrative that challenges dominant representations of black people and racial injustice
• Powerful visual imagery, such as photographs of protests and police brutality, has been widely circulated on social media and in the news, sparking public outrage and calls for change
• Political art, such as posters and graphics, has been used to create a visual language for the movement, with slogans like "Black Lives Matter," "I Can't Breathe," and "No Justice, No Peace" becoming rallying cries for protesters
• Visual art has the ability to reach a wide and diverse audience, including people who may not otherwise engage with the Black Lives Matter movement or social justice issues, by inserting political messages into everyday spaces and routines

The Impact on Public Discourse

• The impact of visual art, music, and performance on shaping public discourse around the Black Lives Matter movement can be seen in the increased visibility of the movement, the mobilization of activists and allies, and the shift in public opinion towards recognizing systemic racism as a pressing social issue
• Music has been used to create anthems for the movement, with songs like Kendrick Lamar's "Alright" and Beyoncé's "Formation" becoming unofficial protest songs that inspire and mobilize activists
• Performance art has been used to create public spectacles that disrupt business as usual and force people to confront the reality of racial injustice, such as the "die-ins" staged by Black Lives Matter activists in public spaces
• The creation of public art can also serve as a form of community building and collective action, bringing people together to collaborate on projects that express shared values and experiences

Artists as Advocates for Racial Justice

Using Platforms for Advocacy

• Artists across various disciplines have used their platforms to advocate for racial justice and support the Black Lives Matter movement, leveraging their visibility and influence to raise awareness and mobilize fans and followers
• Visual artists have created works that directly address police brutality and systemic racism, such as Dread Scott's "A Man Was Lynched by Police Yesterday" flag and Mark Bradford's "Pickett's Charge" installation
• Celebrity artists have used their social media platforms to amplify the voices of Black Lives Matter activists, share resources and information, and encourage their followers to take action, such as by attending protests, donating to bail funds, or contacting elected officials

Collaborations and Financial Support

• Artists have collaborated with Black Lives Matter activists and organizations to create public art projects and events that raise awareness about racial injustice, such as the "Say Their Names" memorial project, which features portraits of victims of police brutality
• Some artists have also used their financial resources to support the Black Lives Matter movement (The Weeknd donated $500,000 to racial justice organizations, BTS donated$1 million to Black Lives Matter)
• Musicians have used their performances and appearances to show solidarity and advocate for change (Kendrick Lamar's 2016 Grammy Awards performance included a reenactment of a prison chain gang)
• Collaborations between artists and activists help to amplify the message of the Black Lives Matter movement and reach new audiences

Public Art and the Black Lives Matter Movement

Murals and Street Art as Expressions of Solidarity

• Public art, such as murals and street art, has played a significant role in the Black Lives Matter movement by creating visible and accessible expressions of solidarity, protest, and demands for racial justice in public spaces
• Murals depicting the faces and names of victims of police brutality have been painted in cities across the United States, serving as powerful memorials that honor their lives and humanize their stories
• Street art, such as graffiti and wheat-pasted posters, has been used to create guerrilla-style interventions in public spaces, often featuring political slogans, calls to action, and images of protest and resistance
• During the 2020 protests following the murder of George Floyd, street artists created impromptu murals on boarded-up storefronts and buildings, transforming them into canvases for political expression

Reclaiming Public Spaces

• The ephemerality and illegality of some forms of street art, such as graffiti, can also be seen as a form of resistance against the very systems of power and oppression that the Black Lives Matter movement seeks to dismantle
• Public art has also been used to reclaim and redefine public spaces as sites of protest, mourning, and remembrance, such as the creation of the "Black Lives Matter" mural on 16th Street in Washington D.C., near the White House, during the 2020 protests
• The creation of public art can serve as a form of community building and collective action, bringing people together to collaborate on projects that express shared values and experiences
• Reclaiming public spaces through art allows the Black Lives Matter movement to assert its presence and demands in the face of systemic oppression and erasure