From street art and protest signs to posters and poetry, from chart-topping songs and well-known chants to novels and photography, art, both professional and amateur, has held an important place in protests and political movements through the generations. The ancillary resources in this post include information about the history and future of art and its role in protest as well as social media's current role in amplifying the message the artwork projects. If you're interested in creating your own political art, Matt Gabler and ArtSpace both offer useful tips for making your own political art or protest art, and Square Signs offers advice for creating an effective protest sign. To get to this week's reading list, scroll down!
- Art, Protest, and Public Space - MET Museum
- Art in Protest - Human Rights Foundation
- The Art of Protest: Visual Resistance in the 21st Century - SpreadKnow
- Protest Sign Ideas: Most Effective Protest Signs - Square Signs
- How to Make EFFECTIVE Political Art: 6 Rules of Thumb - ArtSpace
- Art as Activism: How Protest Art Challenges the Status Quo - My Art Broker
- A History of Protest Art Through Examples: From Ai Weiwei to Banksy - Widewalls
- Art as Protest: Using Your Medium to Voice Resistance - Matt Gable Art
- What Defines Protest Art? Your Civil Rights Guide (YouTube)
- Art as Rebellion: How Creativity Becomes Protest - EB Sanders (YouTube)
- The 25 Most Influential Works of American Protest Art Since World War II - The New York Times Style Magazine
- How Important is Art as a Form of Protest? - Frieze
- The Art of a Movement: Protest Art and the Artist as Activist - Artland Magazine

Image Description: A Black man, photographed from behind stands in the center-left with his fist in the air. He is wearing a dark t-shirt and durag. He stands in front of a large crowd of fellow protesters outside and official-looking building. The photo is in black and white.
Credit: marco allasio / Pexels
Nine More Books About the History and Future of Protest
- What We Do Now: Standing Up For Your Values in Trump's America edited by Dennis Johnson and Valerie Merians
- From #BlackLivesMatter to Black Liberation by Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor
- This Changes Everything: Occupy Wall Street and the 99% Movement edited by Sarah van Gelder and Yes! Magazine
- Why We Can't Wait by Martin Luther King, Jr.
- The Revolt of the Cockroach People by Oscar Zeta Acosta
- They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us by Hanif Abdurraqib
- How To Be An Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi
- The Democracy Project: A History, A Crisis, A Movement by David Graeber
- Hope in the Dark: Untold Histories, Wild Possibilities by Rebecca Solnit
Sources
- 25 Books About the Power of Protest to Inspire You to March On (Bustle): 25 Necessary Books About The Power Of Protest, Because The Fight Has Just Begun
- An Essential Protest Reading (Bustle): 11 Books About Political Protests To Inspire Your Activism Throughout Trump's Presidency
- The Greatest Books of All Time on Protest (The Greatest Books): The Greatest Books of All Time on Protest
- 9 Books About Political Activism that Will Inspire You (What We Reading): 9 Books About Political Activism That Will Inspire You
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