WASHINGTON, D.C. – This week, People For the American Way Foundation and the Center for Artistic Activism announced $100,000 in funding, through the non-partisan Art for the Polls program, to inspire voting and to support a dozen art projects in North Carolina, Ohio, and New York, where there is a history of voter suppression and where turnout will have an outsized impact in politics across the country. To amplify the reach of these projects locally, Art for the Polls is partnering with Common Cause North Carolina, Cleveland VOTES, the Chinese-American Planning Council, and the New York League of Conservation Voters Education Fund.
Art-based projects and activities supported by Art for the Polls include community workshops and festivals, a bi-lingual concert series, “move to vote” dance workshops, community asadas – or cookouts, larger-than-life pro-voter projections, community paintings and posters, and more.
The art activations are part of an overall effort by People For’s Artists for the American Way campaign to engage and excite eligible voters in underrepresented communities, to demystify the voting process, and to register and mobilize voters between now and the November 5 election.
“Art is a powerful tool to inspire reflection and action by capturing the emotions of communities and movements,” said People For the American Way Foundation President Svante Myrick. “Our Artist for the American Way campaign, in partnership with the Center for Artistic Activism, supports artists and their creative contributions that help energize voters at a time when people are eager to turn the page for leaders who respect our freedoms, our families, and our futures.
“If traditional activist methods were enough, we would have won already,” added Rachel Gita Karp, Director of the Unstoppable Voters Program at the Center for Artistic Activism. “We need the powers of art, and the unique vision and imagination of artists, to augment and implement new, innovative, uniquely impactful ways to overcome systemic disenfranchisement, inspire people to take action, and turn out voters in record numbers this year and beyond.”
Art activations, events, and projects began as early as September 15 and will continue through November 5.
**ART ACTIVATIONS: LIST & PROJECT DETAILS**
NORTH CAROLINA
Move to Vote (Charlotte)
Key Dates for Activation
- October 4-6 (one week before NC voter registration ends)
Contemporary dance company and nonprofit organization Baran Dance’s ‘Move to Vote’ is a free, weekend-long dance workshop and public showcase geared toward unearthing the power of movement, creative research, and imaginative collaboration to inspire action on today’s most pressing social justice issues through civic engagement. Social media graphic. Baran Dance website and Instagram
Votemos Durham: Community Cookouts (Asadas)
Key Dates for Activation
- October 6
- October 20
Led by immigrants and children of immigrants, Votemos Durham demystifies civic engagement for Latiné voters and non-voters in Durham County to turn out this election cycle while fostering long-term involvement beyond elections. Building on culturally tailored events held throughout 2024, Votemos Durham will host a series of community asadas bringing together local neighborhoods to explore the intersection of art and voting. Instagram. One-pager
Voting Arts Lab
Key Dates for Activations
- September 28 – CarolinaDaze Concert, Johnson C. Smith University,Queen City Zine Fest, Charlotte, NC
- September 29: Durham Pride, Durham, NC
- October 13 – CarolinaDaze Music and Arts Festival: Asheville, Salvage Station, Asheville, NC
Voting Arts Lab is mobilizing artists to create culturally-tailored GOTV posters and a zine about voting in NC, focusing on young voters, especially LGBTQIA+ people, BIPOC, women, disabled people, and immigrants. People get a free piece of artwork in exchange for checking their voter registration via a QR code on the art. . Carolina Daze Music & Arts Festival. Voting Arts Lab. Sample VOTE NC poster
OHIO (in support of Cleveland VOTES' More Than My Art initiative)
Mural on the Moon
Key Date(s) for Activations
- September 30
Drawing on themes associated with science, space, and nature, Mural on the Moon will feature: art installations focusing on the future voting can achieve; voter guides and other educational resources; performances; opportunities to journal and reflect on what it means to reimagine the future together; and a book giveaway of Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower.
Our Power Fest
Key Date(s) for Activations:
- September 28
Power Fest will be an immersive weekend festival featuring performances, workshops and more, providing a platform where cultural workers and individuals can share their heritage, have conversations promoting mutual understanding, and take actions to ensure their communities can thrive by taking a voting pledge and encouraging their neighbors to vote.
Slam Dunk the Vote
Key Date(s) for Activations:
- September 20
In partnership with local professional sports non-profits, Slam Dunk The Vote will leverage sports motifs and activities to create a fun, social environment to engage young voters (18-25). In addition to activities, food, games, swag, and photo opps, Cleveland Votes will also provide youth with voter registration information and support.
NEW YORK
Eljuri Concerts for Democracy
Key Dates for Activations – JOIN US!
- September 26 – DROM, NYC
- October 5 – Allentown, Pennsylvania
- October 8 – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Eljuri Concerts for Democracy is a live performance series led by Eljuri and her band featuring one-of-a-kind, bilingual songs written to inspire diverse, multigenerational crowds from underrepresented Latinx communities to get excited about civic engagement and the 2024 election.
Create+Engage
Key Dates for Activations
- September 26 - Create+Engage Studio Session (virtual)
- October 16 - Create+Engage Workshop (virtual)
- November 13 - Create+Engage Workshop: Post-Election Reflection & What’s Next (virtual)
Create + Engage is a series of hands-on, community workshops designed to inspire creativity and meaningful civic action. Hosted by the Creative Fuel Collective, these virtual workshops bring invited guest speakers, creatives, and artists to explore how art and creative solutions can motivate us to engage in our local communities — from visual storytelling and mapping belonging, to using zines as “micro-media” to educate and inspire action. Participants join from across the country. The upcoming Fall 2024 Workshops focus on using art to get out the vote (October), and to ground both creativity and civic engagement as lifelong practices (November). Learn more.
UG! Comedy Show!!
Key Dates for Activations: TBC
The UG! POLITICAL SHOW!! – will feature an exciting line-up of local comedians across the political spectrum diving into how civic engagement can be fun, civil, entertaining, and informative.
Operation Golden Day (the last day New Yorkers can register to vote by mail or in person for the Nov 5th election)
Key Dates for Activations
- October 26 (Golden Day) plus lead-up activations
Operation Golden Day will partner with the Chinese-American Planning Council (CPC) and Arts4Impact to create a city-block-long golden fabric garland in Chinatown. The interactive art activation will inspire and empower New Yorkers – especially from underrepresented Asian and immigrant communities – to turn out in force in the 2024 election and beyond. Learn more: https://arts4impact.org/cpc-golden-day
Project Your Vote
Key Dates for Activations: TBC
Project Your Vote counters voter suppression by projecting powerful, larger-than-life images at local polling places and ballot drop boxes using the evocative imagery of the 1960s civil rights movement to illuminate early voting and ballot drop locations. These visually arresting displays inspire pride, power, and community while simultaneously connecting the ongoing struggle for voters' rights to the present. At the same time, they provide essential election information to empower potential voters in today’s fight to protect people's right to vote. Sample projections.
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About Art for the Polls Art for the Polls is a 501c3-friendly program of People for the American Way Foundation and its Artists for the American Way campaign, the Center for Artistic Activism, and local partners Cleveland VOTES, Common Cause NC, the Chinese-American Planning Council, and the New York League of Conservation Voters Education Fund.
About People For the American Way Foundation People For the American Way Foundation, a national progressive advocacy organization, inspires and mobilizes community and cultural leaders to advance Truth, Justice and the American Way. We convene courageous Americans, produce compelling media and organize campaigns to defend our democracy from authoritarian threats and advance America’s promise that everyone will enjoy freedom, safety and a vote that counts. Learn more: http://www.pfaw.org
About the Center for Art Activism The Center for Artistic Activism is a nonprofit helping to create change through irresistible interventions informed by rigorous methodology. Our research, resources, and trainings give activists, artists, and everyone in between the tools they need to build creative campaigns that win.
One of our main initiatives is our expansive Unstoppable Voters program, which brings creativity and innovation to protecting the freedom to vote in the U.S. Since Unstoppable Voters’ launch in 2020, we’ve helped over 120 organizations and over 1,200 individuals in revitalizing pro-voter efforts. We’ve run artistic activism trainings for seasoned movement leaders and new advocates, created online communities to foster collaboration across backgrounds and experiences, and supported creative campaigns that have helped register and get out the vote in key communities, fight for the drawing of fair political districts, push legislation for protecting the freedom to vote, and so much more. To learn more about the Center for Artistic Activism and its Unstoppable Voters program, head to www.c4aa.org.
