I have read two articles, Craftivism: The Do-It Yourself Practice Of Protest Design and The Guerrilla Girls Are Still Relevant After All These Years. The two articles that I have read pertain to protest art, but they differ in the populations about which they speak. The first article refers to the “do-it-yourself practice of protest design” made for strikes and protests. For example, it shows a picture of a general strike in Barcelona in 2012 with inflatable cobblestones. While they were made for practical use and were used as barricades, which protected the demonstrators, the large silver cubes also represented the cobblestones, which could be used as weapons in riots.
This article emphasizes object-making because many of the artists practice what they call “craftivism”, which is the act of making things because they have. Carrie Reichardt, the artist of a “Ceramic House of Resistance”, stated “it breaks down barriers”. On the other hand, the second article focuses on posters made by the Guerrilla Girls. This text is about the lack of important females in the art world, which is dominated by men. It refers to the Guerrilla Girls, who promoted feminism throughout the years. Despite the amount of time since they have come into fame, their work is still relevant. While this article is very statistics and data heavy, it is still accessible and relevant.
The article also includes a poster called “Token Times” from 1995 which sarcastically explains the “Advantages of being a woman artist”. This piece really brings into light the effect of a predominately male art world and its effect on females trying to make their way into it. After stating the facts, the article goes farther by stating “that everyone in positions of power in the art world bears responsibility for the current state of affairs and can work to improve the situation”. It even goes as far as to give examples of reactions to the Guerrilla Girls’ art, which shows the effectiveness of their strategy.
This article emphasizes object-making because many of the artists practice what they call “craftivism”, which is the act of making things because they have. Carrie Reichardt, the artist of a “Ceramic House of Resistance”, stated “it breaks down barriers”. On the other hand, the second article focuses on posters made by the Guerrilla Girls. This text is about the lack of important females in the art world, which is dominated by men. It refers to the Guerrilla Girls, who promoted feminism throughout the years. Despite the amount of time since they have come into fame, their work is still relevant. While this article is very statistics and data heavy, it is still accessible and relevant.
The article also includes a poster called “Token Times” from 1995 which sarcastically explains the “Advantages of being a woman artist”. This piece really brings into light the effect of a predominately male art world and its effect on females trying to make their way into it. After stating the facts, the article goes farther by stating “that everyone in positions of power in the art world bears responsibility for the current state of affairs and can work to improve the situation”. It even goes as far as to give examples of reactions to the Guerrilla Girls’ art, which shows the effectiveness of their strategy.