The Art of Activism

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Art and culture have the power to bridge divides. On June 5, 2024, Nicole Elkon, the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Professional and Cultural Exchanges at the Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, introduced the speakers for the panel on the Art of Activism. Ambassador Stuart Holiday, the CEO of Meridian International Center, moderated the conversation between the three visual artists: Elsabé Johnson Dixon, Halim Flowers, and Jeffrey Gibson.

Here are some key takeaways from the panel:

1. The arts build bridges

Ambassador Stuart Holiday opened the conversation by expressing the importance of art and culture in building bridges. Throughout the conversation, each artist referenced this notion. Elsabé Johnson Dixon has created bridges between insects and humans, encouraging her audience to consider their environments. Gibson has built bridges by inviting people to learn about the complexities of human existence. Flowers noted that “art [was] the bridge that took someone like [him] from the poorest parts of Capitol Hill” to a place that allowed him to create.

 

2. A flag makes a statement

Flags are important symbols that can represent countries, organizations, and ideologies. Jeffrey Gibson, a Choctaw-Cherokee visual artist, has created intricate and impactful flags that are meant to be “invitations for people to consider their own [bodies],” especially concerning all living things. Gibson also explains how the American flag, which can hold a nationalistic message, differs from the flags many indigenous communities have established for themselves. Indigenous flags symbolize “a pride in survival in the context of nationalistic boundaries.”

 

3. Humans and insects are not too different.  

Elsabé Johnson Dixon uses insects in her art and attempts to “create an environment that includes humans and insects in a specifically curated instance.” Like insects, humans gather and create community around fire, food, and water. Her work also relies on community, both a community of insects and of humans, as she often collaborates with students and people to build her pieces.

 

4. Art can re-examine the criminal legal system

In 1997, Halim Flowers was arrested at the age of 16 and given two life sentences. He was released in 2019 after serving 22 years. As an artist and an author, he has examined the criminal justice system and advocated for financial literacy. His art portrays a legal system that takes advantage of humanity and a person’s nature to make mistakes and develops an industry that “doesn’t reciprocate that humanity.”

 

5. Everyone is an equally complicated person

These visual artists often interact with different countries and cultures. The U.S. State Department selected Gibson to represent the country at the 2024 Venice Biennale. Flowers has traveled internationally and recently had a solo show in Paris. When asked about this, Gibson explained that he aims to view everyone, both domestic and international, as equally complicated people. This sentiment resonates with Flowers’s experiences abroad, where he learned that different legal systems have more humane approaches, even in countries where we would least expect it.