ART OF PROTEST

“This book will encourage and equip [readers] to use art as a language and instrument that can help…champion [their] chosen cause.”

Beginning on a personal note, Nichols breaks down her involvement in the Black Lives Matter movement in Missouri, starting in 2014, and uses this jumping-off point to widen the scope to thoughtfully balance personal accounts of protest with a wider global perspective. In straightforward, accessible language she takes readers through the history of visual media for social change through the past and into the modern day, ending with speculation on where current trends will take protest art in the future. Appropriately packing the text with graphics from several artists displaying unique visual styles, author and artist Nichols prepares the next generation of young art activists with a comprehensive guide to the inextricable relationship between protest and art. Inspiring, pop-color illustrations highlight five youth climate activists around the world. Featuring examples of work and quotes from the likes of Ai Weiwei, Nina Simone, Diego Rivera, and Keith Haring, Nichols arms young readers with basic introductions in reading visual information—including color associations, common symbology, typography, and popular formats such as zine making, screen printing, and—escaping the two-dimensional—various protest demonstrations. Abundant contextual information pairs beautifully with encouragement to engage—safely—with protest in a variety of ways suited to civic-minded young artists.

Nichols is sure to inspire an entire generation of new “artivists.”