There is a rich history of understanding joy, art, and beauty as forms of resistance to oppression.
Conceiving of joy as a form of resistance is perhaps most recognized in the Black Joy movement, which celebrates the beauty, resistance, and flourishing—in the face of trauma and injustice—of Black embodiment and life.
Art has also always played a vital role in protest and resistance. From visual to performance to textile to architecture, humans have expressed their emotions, opinions, dissent, and dreams through their art.
Whether you write, draw, dance, sing, build, act, take photos, sew, or create another form of art, consider how the very act of creating is a declaration of freedom, expression, and connection.
To draw inspiration from joy and art that both comfort and provoke, do one of the following:
- Watch videos from this TED series on the central role that art—from cartoons to theater to ballroom dance—plays in democracy.
- Pick an art form that is important to you and explore the varied places, ways, and artists that have used that creative form in the past to express resistance and vision. (For example, if you love quilting, explore the history of the Gee’s Bend quilts and the AIDS memorial quilt; if you love theater, you might research Theater of the Oppressed or consider how social resistance features in Broadway shows; etc.)
- Research historical or contemporary local artists in your area.
- Visit and support a local museum, gallery, theater, symphony, or other arts venue in your community.