At the core of Pyaari Azaadi's diasporic artistic genius lies the belief that to do something fully and in an embodied way, one must immerse oneself in the storms of the heart, where our emotional and physical selves congeal as both metaphor and sacred koan. It is in that space - where even light is dimmed - that we live our truth, the elusive state that all people of conscience strive to hold.
In Monona, a suburban city of around 9,000 residents just outside the capital city of Madison, around 400 people lined one of the busiest corners of the main street of the city. Protesters held signs in opposition to President Donald Trump, took part in cross-street chanting, and encouraged vehicles to honk their car horns in support - which dozens of cars did.
What is artivism? We define artivism as art that is meant for social and environmental change. Basically, we call an artivist someone with three facets. First, they have to be a strong and recognized artist whether they dance, sing, paint, write poetry, etc. Their art should touch people's hearts, minds and dreams. Second, their work should be rooted in their own community. That can be a neighborhood, a city, a region, or demographic, but it should be serving, inspiring
"We believe that part of making good trouble is community building and getting organized so that when the time comes to make some kind of good trouble, you have people on your side," said Tal Karsten, an organizer with 50501 San Jose.