Art Can Change the World A Manifesto

by Emelife, Aindrea

• ISBN13: 9780711272927
• ISBN10: 0711272921
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2024-05-07
• Publisher: Frances Lincoln

Summary

In this game-changing manifesto, critic, curator and presenter Aindrea Emelife tackles head on art’s vital role in power, justice and society.
 
Art is everywhere. It’s spray-painted on the walls lining our streets. It’s referenced in our favourite films and on the covers of magazines. Our most cherished musicians are inspired by great artists without us even noticing.

So why do we associate art with the elite and the exclusive, with stuffy academics and intimidating galleries? Why doesn’t the art inside museums reflect the people walking past them? What could art achieve if these barriers were torn down? And how can the art world step up and make us care?
 
Challenging historic notions, breaking down elitist barriers and pushing conversations about how we can make art truly for all – Aindrea faces the questions most commentators shy away from, promoting an art world that is a force for change. Because isn’t that what we need right now?
 
Through four thought-provoking and painstakingly researched chapters, this a persuasive and daring declaration about how the art world needs to step up to deliver its true potential.

Author Biography

Aindrea Emelife is an art historian, writer, curator and presenter from London. Starting at The Courtauld Institute of Art, she has quickly gone on to become a ground-breaking new voice in an art world otherwise steeped in tradition. Aindrea has featured in programming on Sky Arts and presented art films for such prestigious institutions as the Royal Academy of Arts, the Hepworth Wakefield Museum, the Dairy Art Centre, the Courtauld Gallery, Waldemar Januszczak and ZCZ Productions.

Table of Contents

Introduction

I. Art Has Changed the World
Art is so often created to rouse its audience. Here, Aindrea presents the key artworks that have shifted society and perceptions. The artworks she believes, had they not existed, would mean our world was a very different place. 

II. Art Should Interrogate the Issues of Today
Drawing on the historical development of the Black Arts movement, recent political events and public artworks, Aindrea interrogates the need for sculptures, murals and statues to present contemporary heroes. 

III. Art is for Everyone, Everyone Should be Included
A discussion on how, through having a singular Western view of art history, the stories of many have been overlooked. What that means for how we think about race and diversity, why and how history in itsself is subjective and what art can do to change this.

IV. Art Should Nourish
Looking at how imagery in magazines and on Instagram influences us and positing a world where art is everywhere and for everyone - to nourish, inspire joy and rouse debate so as to move forward to a cultural revolution.

Glossary
Acknowledgements