"We have art in order not to die of the truth." --Nietzsche

I truly believe that there is actually a lot of good that will come out of this fiasco in America.  In this blog I hope to touch on the positives. I believe deeply that love and kindness WILL win, and if we keep the positive vibe in our hearts we will find a way through this, and actually come out stronger for it.

One huge positive: It is bringing out the best in us. Citizens are using their skills to contribute.  We are energized and ready to apply our gifts to the resistance.  Organizers are organizing; people with money are donating; writers are writing.  And artists are making art.

Like during other movements in our history, such as the Civil Rights movement or the Vietnam era, visual and performing artists are using their art to give us a voice and a vision.

Here are a very few examples that have struck me just in the last week or so.

Rosie Re-imaginged.  Cool story from this Huffington Post Article 

This artist is giving a face to the marginalized. Read the story also in The Huffington Post.

Here is an interesting article about California artists and their role in the resistance. Explore the links in the article for more wonderful art, including the posters that Shepard Fairey has shared for free. 

And of course there are political cartoons! One of the best artisitic expressions in the Land!  I adore political cartoons. Here is a collection of cartoons from around the World on Imgur.

These are some of my favorite from the collection. They all portray SCROTUS in his true light.

Even artists like the lovable Sarah Boynton are getting into the act.

I attended a wonderful performance by Sarah Jones at UCSB just a few days after the inauguration. Ms. Jones is an amazing actress. She is able to put on characters like the rest of us put on a jacket. She became the characters from the top of her head to the tip of her toes.  Some of her characters had been with her at the Women's March in Washington, DC, and their commentary on the event was wise, poignant, and touching. Please explore her website and her videos, and if you ever get to see her perform, GO!



We are going to need to escape from reality in the next four years. I think that we are on the brink of having a ton of wonderful films produced. Just like in the 40s, we will need to escape to other worlds. Hollywood will not only comment on current events, but will take us away from them. 

Here are a couple of film-lets.

Budweiser created a touching ad:




And I will leave you with another film that inspires us to be at our best now and always.

This week, at the opening night of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, they showed an ad made by the Anti-Defamation League. It was powerful in any circumstance, but particularly today when people's freedoms and safety are at stake. 

Imagine.



Go.  Make art. Share it. Inspire us!