Social Movement Studies Publishes on the Efficacy of Artistic Activism

By: Stephen Duncombe

A version of this blog was originally posted on the Center for Artistic Activism website.

Artistic Activism works, empirically.

We did the tests and the evidence is in.

Need to convince collaborators or colleagues of the importance of using creativity in activism? The Center for Artistic Activism's Stephen Duncombe co-authored a new, evidence-based, empirical study of the impact of creative activism vs. conventional forms of activism!

On a busy bridge in Copenhagen, Denmark, C4AA Co-Founder and Research Director Stephen Duncombe, along with Silas Harrebye, designed and staged a public experiment. They tested the comparative effect and affect of creative vs. more conventional forms of activism over a three day period.

The control group handed out flyers and had speakers informing people about the issue of methane from beef production. The experimental group dressed in cow costumes that said "I FART! IT IS AN ISSUE!" They also peppered the streets with (well marked) piles of manure and had a rapper rhyme about the issue over their Mega-Fart Sound System. More details about the experiment are on our site.

Their experiment found that a creative approach was more effective at delivering on traditional advocacy objectives like awareness, engagement, and receptiveness - and that most people were more positive towards creative interventions than conventional ones.

We're so proud to have passed the peer review process and reach publication. This is the first study of it's kind!

Read the study here.

Stephen Duncombe is the Professor of Media and Culture at the Gallatin School of Individualized Study & Media, Culture and Communication in the Steinhardt School at New York University. He is also the Co-Founder and Research Director for the Center for Artistic Activism. Stephen previously wrote about this experiment on the Creative Generation blog.

For more information, or to directly reach Stephen, please send him an email: stephen.duncombe@nyu.edu