Art and Activism with Aaron Huey

Denizen

In this episode, we look at the role of art in activism and social change. Our guest, Aaron Huey, has created visuals for many of the most important movements of our time, from climate change to indigenous rights to economic justice.

We talk about Huey's background as a National Geographic photojournalist, his 2010 TED Talk about indigenous rights, the role of visual art and activism, why street art is particularly impactful, space hacking, and how design thinking integrates into his work.

This episode covers:

• Huey's background [2:12]
• His 2010 TED Talk about indigenous rights [3:25]
• His transition from photojournalism into activism [5:14]
• How street art effectively confronts people, and "space hacking" [12:21]
• Building on cultural lineages [14:59]
• His "We the People" campaign in 2017 [15:57]
• His follow-on "We the Future" campaign [18:45]
• Activism as a compass and an invitation [19:40]
• Designing for movement amplification [21:49]
• Finding the right relationship with complexity [23:28]
• Distributing into schools [27:10]
• Combining analog and digital mediums [31:04]
• Every dollar is a vote [34:26]
• How his work is supported [36:27]
• His cross-country walk in 2002 after 9/11 [39:04]

Resources

• Shepard Fairey influential artist & activist behind the Obama "Hope" poster
• America's native prisoners of war Huey's 2010 TED Talk
• Denizen's Theory of Change essay

Amplifier Art's campaigns

• We the People & We the Future begun at the 2017 U.S. presidential inauguration
• RESET Capitalism & Imperative 21 about reforming capitalism
• Amplifier's full campaign list