Engaged Arts: Artivism for Social Change
All significant movements for positive change are accompanied by outpourings of artistic expression that help open our eyes to injustice and convey powerful new visions and possibilities.
This key role of the arts in social movements is as true today as it’s ever been, and we at Bioneers have sought to feature the work of groundbreaking socially and eco-engaged artists from across different disciplines. It is our belief that without the inspiration and visions artists provide, we won’t be able to give life to the just civilization we aspire to have.
In this week’s newsletter, we’re sharing how arts have the ability to illustrate what facts cannot, making them an essential factor in nearly all successful movements.
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Performance by Jason Nious of Molodi
Jason Nious, a performing artist, creative director, and founder and director of the Las Vegas-based, award-winning body percussion ensemble, Molodi, performed at Bioneers 2023.
Bioneers Conference 2024 – Artist Application
We are excited for art to play a vital, celebratory and transformational role at our 35th annual conference. Our mission is to program the 2024 conference with captivating, compelling and inspiring art, and we invite you to help us make this vision a reality.
How Black Creative Spaces Can Be Havens for Resistance
Art has always been a pillar of the life and culture of Blackness in America. From hiding Yoruba religious symbols in Christian iconography to singing of a liberated future in the so-called “negro-spirituals,” Black folks have used creativity to carve spaces that are gentle, loving and humanizing against the backdrop of a society that does not love on them. The “Black Creativity” collection explores transformative figures in Black art and creative culture. This article is part of Dreaming Out Loud, a media series written as part of the Bioneers Young Leaders Fellowship Program.
Performance by Rising Appalachia
Rooted in various folk traditions, storytelling, and passionate grassroots activism, Rising Appalachia routinely provides a platform for local causes. In a time of social unraveling, Rising Appalachia’s unique interweaving of music and social mission and old traditions with new interpretations exudes contagious hope and deep integrity. The internationally touring world folk ensemble performed at Bioneers 2023. Learn more about Rising Appalachia here.
Engaged Arts: Artivism for Social Change
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“The role of the artist is to make the revolution irresistible.” — Toni Cade Bambara
Discover the synergy of art and activism as talented artists, activists and storytellers share their work with Bioneers. Our Engaged Arts archive is filled with conference art galleries, artist interviews, videos and featured radio shows — all embodying the intersection of art and social change.
Performance by Wildchoir
Based in Oakland, Calif., Wildchoir is a politically and socially engaged diverse group of vocalists, artists, activists, educators, healers and community organizers who join together in harmony. Their music has inspired thousands at marches, conferences and festivals across California, including Bioneers 2023.
Wildchoir’s debut EP, “Love Anyway,” is releasing on October 27 but can be purchased on Bandcamp now.
PST ART: Art & Science Collide
PST ART: Art & Science Collide will create opportunities for civic dialogue around some of the most urgent problems of our time by exploring past and present connections between art and science in a series of exhibitions, public programs and other resources. Project topics range from climate change and environmental justice to the future of artificial intelligence and alternative medicine.
Brower Youth Awards
Celebrate this year’s inspiring youth leaders at the 24th annual Brower Youth Awards ceremony on October 17th at Freight & Salvage in Berkeley, Calif. The theme for this year’s Brower Youth Awards is Moving Forward Together, a reminder that everyone has a role to play and is valued for their unique contributions to the environmental movement.
Upcoming Bioneers Learning Courses & Community Conversations
Through engaging courses and conversations led by some of the world’s foremost movement leaders, Bioneers Learning and Community Conversations equip engaged citizens and professionals like you with the knowledge, tools, resources and networks to initiate or deepen your engagement, leading to real change in your life and community.
Upcoming Bioneers Learning Courses:
- Honoring Your Emotional Ecosystem | Starting November 14 | A grounded and surprising exploration of the healing genius in your emotional realm.
Upcoming Community Conversations:
- Wiser Together: Partnering for Intergenerational Creativity | November 1 | Connect and discover how we may each nourish our skills and practices to become joyful co-creators across generations.
- A Doorway into the Imaginal Expanse | December 6 | Create a home for your intuition, coax the artist within, and make soul commitments enriching our intraceptive landscape.