Background Info

Art often captures the values of an era. Look at a painting, read a poem, or watch a movie, and you
can tell a lot about the society that created it. Yet, artists also have a reputation for “shaking things
up.” From protest songs to political cartoons, artists may try to change the world, but is art really
effective at driving social change?

Some people think that art is a perfect driver of social change. A big part of this is art’s ability to
move people emotionally. Unlike direct appeals to statistics or cold, hard facts, art can lead people
to feel for others and sympathize with their cause. Thus, art is very good at getting a message
across. On top of this, when art is adopted by a social movement, it can become iconic. These works
can then become important unifiers for a social movement, as activists share them along with new
ideas.

Others disagree with this view, as art can misrepresent complex social issues. In part, this is because
an audience might misunderstand a work, taking it to mean something different from what the artist
intended. An artist may also care more about making their work look or sound good than truthfully
depicting a social issue. Some even argue that art representing a cause draws focus away from a
movement. If people spend more time viewing art than working to make change, then change may
never happen.

So what do you think?