CFP: Interdisciplinary Arts Activism for Impact: The Journal of the Center for Interdisciplinary Teaching & Learning at Boston University

On December 9, 2014, the release of Ezell Ford’s autopsy report inspired an 18-day protest held in

record-breaking cold in front of LAPD headquarters. The evidence confirming that Ford had been shot by

police at close range inspired a group of dance activists, led by Black Lives Matter founding member Dr.

Shamell Bell, not only to occupy space but also to move within it. The protest represented what she coined

“street dance activism” based on “radical joy” and “collecting freedom dreaming.”

Impact: The Journal of the Center for Interdisciplinary Teaching & Learning at Boston University invites

submissions for a special issue on arts activism. We ask: Who are the leaders of arts activism today? How

has arts activism responded to our current political moment? How can an understanding of past

movements help us navigate the present? How does arts activism interact with or transcend other forms of

protest? How are students and educators embracing the “artivism” movement in creative, educational, and

social ways?

We seek scholarly, experimental, and/or experiential work on arts activism including street art/community

installations; music and composing; public performance; architecture and design/space; community

engagement; somatic activism; comedy and activism; digital/social media; zines/pamphlets, comics, and

more.

We also solicit work on the convergence of arts activism and revolution: how forms of creative

expression drive social and/or policy change in areas affecting human rights, systemic inequality, climate

change, etc.

We welcome articles with video or audio components, as well as projects that incorporate movement,

somatic practices, theater and performance into the classroom or curriculum.

Submissions through Scholastica here: www.bostonuniversity.news/impact