Social Justice Art

In this lively and groundbreaking book, arts educator Marit Dewhurst examines why art is an effective way to engage students in thinking about the role they might play in addressing social injustice.

Based on interviews and observations of sixteen highschoolers participating in an activist arts class at a New York City museum, Dewhurst identifies three learning processes common to the act of creating art that have an impact on social justice: connecting, questioning, and translating. Noting that "one of the challenges of social justice art education has been the difficulty of naming effective strategies that can be used across multiple contexts," Dewhurst outlines core strategies for an "activist arts pedagogy" and offers concrete suggestions for educators seeking to incorporate activist art projects inside or outside formal school settings.

Social Justice Art seeks to give common language to educators and others who are looking to expand and refine their practices in an emerging field, whether they work in art education, social justice programming, or youth development.

Marit Dewhurst is the director of art education and an assistant professor in art and museum education at The City College of New York, USA. Prior to these roles, she founded and coordinated In the Making, The Museum of Modern Art's free studio arts program for teens in New York City.