Blog 2

 Question: Is digital art/graphics harming activism?

Answer: Throughout my reading of  “The Rise and Impact of Chicano Graphics, 1965 to Now” by Claudia Zapata I perceived there was a sense of dread regarding the rise of online tools/medium—daresay antagonism—beneath the surface of several of the featured comments. For example, on page 131 of the essay Carol Wells is quoted as saying, “You’re not going to walk into a protest with your computer monitor, or on your lawn. Even in this hi-tech age, posters need to be printed.” There is some truth to the statement, it is not ideal to take monitors or anything fragile and heavy to a protest, but it also ignores the activism that can happen online. The past year forced us to test the scope of online outreach and we were able to see various trends. Firstly, we must remember that as printed graphics convey information rapidly through their condensed format and attention-grabbing visuals, online propagation of posters rely on the same mechanism. One of the cons of the digital age is that activists have to compete for the spotlight as online culture is fast and becomes easily disinterested. A well meaning graphic might be lost in a sea of entertainment content and remain lost. On the contrary, a pro of digital material is that it is easily distributed, the scope of its influence is not limited by visits to where it is exhibited or how many pieces are available. Although the algorithms of social media might retain information between like minded circles, members of the community place their efforts in not only spreading the pieces to unknown boundaries, but maintaining them relevant. If we begin to transition to the nonvirtual world, Carol Wells is correct, we do have to print our work, but as described in page 142 with Jesus Barraza’s honorable contribution towards justice for Alex Nieto, those involved are not discouraged by that. If anything, for those who do not possess artistic skill (myself included), it is an opportunity to share the artist’s work and message, given that consent was granted, and support the cause. At the end of the day art is subjective and forever evolving. The popularity of digital art will not eradicate traditional art, and artists will continue to make their choices towards what they prefer freely. Lastly, just as art is flexible, so is activism, it will mold to the essence of the society. Both art and activism have to work for the needs of the people, not constrict them.