There is a long history of fine artists using their work as a form of protest against injustice and war—think Picasso's Guernica or Diego Rivera's frescoes. Several contemporary Maine artists fit into this tradition. We discuss the role of art as activism, both historically and today. This program ties in with the upcoming Maine Public Community Film Art is Not a Solace.
Panelists:
Alan Magee, artist, subject of film Art is Not a Solace
Dan Mills, director, Bates College Museum of Art
VIP Callers:
Robert (Rob) Shetterly, artist, Americans Who Tell The Truth
Natasha Mayers, artist, subject of film An Un-still Life
Maine Public is marking the airing of Art is Not Solace with a drawing for one of two signed Alan Magee prints.
Also: Here are some interesting contemporary and diverse artists recommended by Bates College Art Museum Director Dan Mills:
David Wojnarowicz—AIDS activist who focused on the AIDS crisis during the time of government inaction of the 1980s
Carolee Scnheeman—feminist artist who focused on the body, sexuality, and gender, and the politics of eroticism
The Guerrilla Girls—anonymous group of feminist female artists who fight sexism and racism in the art world
James Luna—Native American artist who confronted notions of often romanticized Colonial presentations of Native Americans being in museums to study in musty dusty museum cases, rather than as living human beings
William PopeL.—artist most known for performance and interventionist art, often focused on racism, classism, and issues of economic disparity (was a professor at Bates College from 1990 - 2010)
