ARTIVISM: Rock the Vote (through Art)

By: Jordan Campbell with Elena Faverio, Brett Crandall, and the team at Be an Arts Hero

ARTIVISM: A series authored by Jordan Campbell that highlights projects at the intersection of youth, art, and activism, and how these elements relate to the larger vision of Campaign 2020: Arts and Cultural Education as a Fundamental, Civil, and Human Right.. 

Many young artists in the United States are activating their creativity for social change at the ballot box and on important congressional funding measures. These individuals and coalitions aim to get out to vote, educate citizens on the issues, and fight for important causes. One of those causes is funding for Arts & Cultural Education and the creative sector of the U.S. economy which has been ravaged by the global coronavirus pandemic. In this edition of #Artivism, we will highlight the work of two Artivist practitioners and a group led by young artists that is fighting for congressional financial support for creatives, teaching artists, and cultural organizations. 

Elena Faverio - Creative and Politically-Engaged Digital Content

I'm a Long Island based actor/creator and I've been making Youtube videos during quarantine. I try to make content that is both creative and politically engaged (in various ways). Recently, I did a two video series about voter registration and voting engagement, and I plan to do another series closer to the election as well. I'll also be working as a poll worker in Suffolk County, NY on Election Day and have been trying to raise awareness about that. 

Click here to watch Elena creatively explain voter demographics using jelly beans! 

I began making digital content when the theatre industry shut down due to COVID-19 and I instantly felt aware that digital art is a very permanent and public platform to stand on, regardless of audience size or reach. I knew that I wanted my creative process to be actively engaged with the constantly changing socio-political atmosphere of now: the Black Lives Matter movements, the pandemic, the upcoming election season. That's the question at the heart of my artistic activism - how can my creative process become active engagement, or a call to action, or a calling of myself to action and accountability? I'm still working to answer that question, and will be working to answer it my whole artistic life!

Artivism means understanding that my artistic work is constantly in conversation with both my personal identity and with how I interpersonally relate to what's happening in the world at large. I try to identify the tools that I can use as an artist to respond to political moments and social justice movements in a way that is uniquely me, whether that's through music or comedy or entertainment or education or passing the spotlight to someone else. My virtual work has just begun to touch the places I want to go as a creator-activist, and I hope that I can continue to grow and learn!

My time in arts education opened my eyes to the work that needs to be done by arts schools and organizations to facilitate change in our industry. I began to see (and respond to) the ways in which the institutions I attended failed students - especially Black students and students of color, international students, LGTBQ+ students, and students with physical/emotional/mental disabilities. Arts education has so much potential to empower young artists, increase diversity in student cohorts, and redefine or reject problematic aspects of industry culture...and I've been hopeful that the recent highly visible anti-racism movements (in the arts sector, particularly) have empowered students to call their home artistic institutions to accountability and achieve meaningful change.  

Pre-pandemic I was first and foremost a stage actress, and I recently spoke with my friend Deborah Bahi (who is a phenomenally talented singer and actress) about the coming reopening of the theatre industry and she called it, "the Renaissance of theatre." I think that's an absolutely brilliant way to view it! I'm looking forward to an artistic and cultural renaissance that makes space for more diverse and inclusionary art and artists, that financially values the labor of artists and industry workers above profits, where there is an abundance of new writing and new works, and where audiences are excited to go to theatres, and cinemas, and galleries, and concerts. The most wonderful thing about the future of the arts and culture sector is that we are creating that future right now. And now. And now. 

Find out more about Elena’s work at www.elenafaverio.com. 

Brett Crandall - Puppetry, LGBTQ+ Equality, and Voter Registration

I’m a Kansas-based actor, writer, producer, puppeteer, and activist. I moved back to my home state of Kansas last year after 10 years of training/working in NYC. With flyover states’ lack of arts resources, I saw opportunities to perform more often, founding my own touring puppet troupe, touring schools and libraries. 

Honestly though, the move back to Kansas was about the fight for LGBTQIA equality. Not just my vote here but I’ve also researched and written many LGBTQ+ stories set in Kansas, crafting them into live shows to perform for more conservative audiences, educating through art. 

In recent weeks I’ve toured college towns around Kansas working with queer college social groups to register them to vote this November and engage them in our democracy, topping the event off with an interactive, LGBTQ-inclusive Murder mystery, giving insight to what queer lives were like in Kansas 100 years ago. Following the event is a Q&A where younger queer people can continue to foster the community aspect missing from LGBTQIA lives in our rural area.

Find out more about Brett and his work: www.BrettCrandallStudios.com and on Instagram: @brett_crandall_studios.  

A Call to Action - Be An #ArtsHero 

BeAnArtsHero is an intersectional grassroots campaign of Arts & Culture Workers, Unions, and institutions in the United States pushing the Senate to allocate proportionate relief to the Arts & Culture sector of the American economy. Right now it's 100% run by volunteers. The campaign is looking for a wide range of volunteers right now, especially in the areas of Graphic Design, Web Design, Copy Editing, and communication skills.  

No matter your age, we can all be an #ArtsHero. A nationwide effort for children, young adults, families, and classrooms to write letters to Senators voicing support for the arts throughout the month of October. The #ArtsAreMySuperpower Campaign, part of Be An #ArtsHero, was created in partnership with a coalition of organizations focused on arts and education for young people.

The team has also been very hard at work writing and meeting with congressional staff. They have created the DAWN ACT (DEFEND ART WORKERS NOW) and are bringing it to DC for support. This bill authorizes the NEA, NEH, IMLS, CPB, SBA $43.85 billion to make grants to all art workers and related businesses to address the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on all Arts Workers across the national Arts Economy.

But there is still so much more to do! If you are interested in volunteering with #ArtsHero, please fill out the form HERE. Or, send an email to artsherovolunteers@gmail.com. 

CONTRIBUTORS:

Elena Faverio

Brett Crandall

BeAnArtsHero Volunteer Team