Activist movements can take place over long periods of time or they can be quick and short lived. They can cover a variety of topics or they can be very specific. They can rally together many groups of people or they can be just one against the world. One thing that remains true throughout all of these movements is that art plays a very prominent role in all of their success. Propaganda and other portrayal of these movements are of utmost importance in order for more people to get behind the cause. If a specific protest is portrayed in a bad light through pictures and other media, then it may be hard for the movement to gain traction. But if the art is doing a good job and making the movement seem positive and peaceful, it will get more support from other people and other groups. Much like a product has advertisements, activist movements have the same thing in the form of art. The War in Vietnam was portrayed to the American people as a bad war that could not be won, after this reporting and the viewing of the images being sent home, there was a national opposition to the war. People of all ages rallied together to have their feelings be known about the war that they could not see in person but instead had to witness through the imaging that was available. That is how art can affect a movement.
a wiki of socially engaged art
