Art is a potent language that can agitate, provoke, excite and motivate. Since the onset of modernism through this contemporary moment, some artists have positioned themselves as agents of societal change. From Dada’s provocation against WWI to Ai Weiwei’s documentation of political oppression, from the street interventions of Banksy to Hans Haacke’s critiques of a corrupt and corrupted art world, artists have subtly and not so subtly challenged social boundaries, exposed injustice and pushed for change. This lecture will explore the various methods and mechanisms that artists have used to activate change and celebrate a few artists whose work has had lasting impact.

Part of The Center’s BIG IDEA project We the People: Protest and Patriotism, Sep 28–Dec 14, 2018.