Wearing So Many Hats: The Intersection of Art and Activism in Progressive Politics

In the world of art, wearing many hats is more than a metaphor; it’s a reality that artists navigate daily. For those of us who are deeply entrenched in political activism, the challenge becomes even more pronounced. As I balance my identity as an artist with my passion for progressive politics and leftist activism, I find myself grappling with how to express my beliefs through my work while still trying to survive in an economy that feels increasingly hostile to artists like me.

The Art of Activism: Finding My Voice

Artivism—the powerful blend of art and activism—has become a crucial outlet for me. It is through my art that I channel my frustrations, hopes, and dreams for a better world. Each stroke of the brush or click of the camera serves as a form of protest against injustice, inequality, and oppression. However, this commitment comes with its own set of challenges. While I aim to inspire others to engage in political activism through my work, I often face backlash from potential buyers who may not share my views.

Living in a deep-red state can feel isolating at times. The community around me may not understand the urgency with which I create politically charged pieces.  And some are extremely angered by my artwork.  Yet, I believe it is essential to make strong statements in political art, even if it means alienating some audiences. My work reflects not only my personal convictions but also a collective struggle for social justice that transcends geographical boundaries.

Creating Amidst Chaos

Finding time to create while actively participating in activism can be daunting. Between attending protests, writing letters to representatives, and engaging in grassroots organizing, it often feels like there aren’t enough hours in the day to devote to my artistic practice. Yet, I’ve learned that integrating these two aspects of my life can be incredibly rewarding.

I often draw inspiration from the events happening around me—whether it’s a rally for climate justice or community discussions on racial equity. These experiences fuel my creativity and deepen the messages embedded within my artwork. In this way, activism spills into my art naturally; they are not separate entities but rather intertwined threads that shape who I am as an artist and activist.

Navigating Economic Challenges

The current economic climate poses significant hurdles for artists striving to make their voices heard while sustaining their livelihoods. With many potential buyers facing financial constraints, selling art has become increasingly difficult. This reality forces artists like me to consider how our political messages resonate within an audience that may be grappling with its own economic struggles.

Despite these challenges, I remain committed to creating art that speaks truthfully about our times. While some may shy away from politically charged topics out of fear of alienating buyers, I believe staying true to one’s convictions is paramount. It’s important for us as artists to engage with our communities honestly and authentically—even if it means sacrificing short-term sales for long-term impact.

Inspiring Change Through Artistic Expression

Ultimately, the goal of merging art with activism is not only about self-expression; it's about inspiring others to take action. When people encounter art that challenges their perspectives or provokes thought about societal issues, it has the power to ignite change. By boldly addressing political themes in our work, we invite conversations that can lead individuals down their own paths toward activism.

And quite frankly, I want to leave a record that shows exactly where I stood during these incredibly frightening times.  If my record involves a work of art, that's even better!

As artists living in politically charged environments, we have an opportunity—and perhaps a responsibility—to use our platforms for social good. We can reach hearts and minds through our creativity while urging others to join us in advocating for progressive values.

My activism has become so much a part of my art that I have an Etsy shop purely for protest items.  I want to share my work and want other people to be able to share our message.  You can find it at Feminist Fashions--A Woman's Place is In Your Face

Embrace Your Inner Activist Artist

Wearing many hats as both an artist and activist is no easy feat.  But it is one filled with purpose and passion. Each piece created becomes part of a larger narrative—a tapestry woven from shared struggles and aspirations for justice. If you’re an artist grappling with similar challenges or feeling isolated in your beliefs, remember: your voice matters.

Join me in this journey! Share your thoughts on how you incorporate activism into your creative process or explore ways we can support one another as we navigate this complex landscape together. Let’s inspire each other to keep pushing forward!  And most importantly, stand up and fight, and NEVER GIVE UP!

 

Art's political side

Art has been a political tool for centuries.  Ancient Greece, Rome, and Egypt saw many examples (usually political leaders "tooting their own horn").  Medieval artworks frequently were used to reinforce the authority and dogma of the Roman Catholic Church.  Renaissance greats often used political symbolism in their art--sometimes subtly, sometimes not--and were hired by the rich and powerful to create art with specific meanings.

In more modern times, who can forget the heart-wrenching impact of Picasso's "Guernica" in response to Nazi bombings?  Or Goya's "Third of May"?

In our current political climate the arts are under attack.  Funding for the arts has been all but eliminated.  The Kennedy Center, once a shining example of the arts in America, has been taken over and subjected to draconian censorship.  But the world of artists refuses to be silenced.  Politically charged messages are often turned into memes, tshirts, and other items (how much of that qualifies as "art" is open to debate, but in the 21st century technological media they can be shared at lightning speed with huge audiences).  And political art is being created.  Songwriters are turning their attention to our dire circumstances. One I really enjoy is Jesse Welles , who has a lively and entertaining YouTube channel of his own.  And I have been creating political pieces

fairly often.  My latest, "The Spoke Into The Wheel" is a rather large 4ftx4ft canvas, combining collage with pallette knife painting.  The collage elements are cut out of prints of The Constitution, The Declaration of Independence, and The Bill of Rights, and is full of political and historical symbols and references.  I may have trouble finding a place to exhibit it (I am located in a very red area) but I am sharing it online.  And I have prints available for sale on Feminist Fashions, which is my outlet for my resistance creations.

If you are an artist, there has never been a better time to take a political stance in your work. Your voice is needed in this crisis.  Whether you put hours into creating a huge physical work, or just play with the computer to create something digital to share, or something in between--get active!  Artivism is activism!  And courage is contagious.  The time to share yours is NOW.

If you have a new creation, or a favorite one, encouraging resistance, feel free to post it in the comments!  And don't forget to participate in protests and rallies near you--now is not the time to be silent!!

Whatever happened to turkeys?

Halloween sales have gone by, Christmas sales are in full swing--hey wait a minute!  What became of Thanksgiving?

Thanksgiving was a BIIIIG deal when I was growing up.  There was a ton of cooking and cleaning, homemade cornbread dressing to fix, the good tablecloth had to be ironed, all the silver serving dishes had to be polished!  I remember the huge deal made over the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade on TV (which was black and white), and watching it went hand in hand with the smell of all the delicious food cooking. We had a relish tray of pickles, spiced apple rings and olives to nibble on while we watched and waited.  And there had to be at least 3 different kinds of pie for dessert!  We might even be playing host to relatives for the day--a plus, since grandmothers always let you have seconds of pie!

The fall and harvest themed stuff has been marked down since Halloween.  I have sold some Thanksgiving decorations at my booths--
mostly to people who comment on how seldom they see stuff for Thanksgiving at craft fairs. 

Soooo, I will clear all the Christmas sale stuff off the table, polish the silver serving dishes, tart up the stovetop cornbread stuffing with some sauteed green onions and celery, and try not to make anyone sick with the turkey.  Thank heavens for a turkey roaster that accepts frozen turkeys, since I will probably remember too late to take it out of the freezer. Now I get to be the grandmother that allows seconds on dessert.  And then, back to last-minute Christmas ornaments for upcoming sales.  

 Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Painting, y'all!

I''m MELTING, MELTING! But painting anyway...

Well, it is time to be selling Halloween and Fall items while painting Christmas items (and I am doing some for Kwanzaa and Hannukah as well).  But it is hot enough to roast a turkey just by leaving it in a closed car.  Maybe even  just wrapped in foil in the driveway!  Difficult to get all holiday cheery when you are melting from the heat.

But starving artists must persevere...

I am super stoked about having one of my paintings in the 54th Annual River Road Show--a national juried exhibition put on by the Art Guild of Louisiana.  The reception is a four hour drive from here.  That means renting a car since my a/c is balky.  I have no wish to arrive at the State Archives Gallery having a heatstroke.  The road trip through the state will be nice, though, giving me a chance to snap a lot of scenic photos to paint from later.

And I just finished doing some lettering in an entry foyer.  The word Lasata is a Native American word meaning "place of peace".  The clients are moving into their new home and making it into  a unique and lovely residence, and I was so happy to be a part of it!

Hope everyone is staying out of the heat and looking forward to cooler times.  Hey, post pictures or comments--tell me what YOU are painting!  Or drop me an email -- betsylevels@gmail.com --if you have something you want painted.  I paint canvases of course, but will paint on anything that doesn't run away!

Holiday frenzy sets in

 Here we go!  Back-to-school sales abound, it is 104 degrees in the shade, and our thoughts turn to...snowmen????

I love holidays.  I love to paint decor for every holiday that comes along.  But in this heat, it is hard to get excited about Christmas.  Plus, this time of year, art and craft shows are ramping up.  I, of course, am up to my eyeballs in painted pumpkins, witches, and ghosts, even though it is only August.  There is not going to be a lot of "spare time" to paint for the next few months. 

And I am kicking myself for not having kept that New Year's resolution to paint a box of Christmas ornaments a week.  I just can't get into the groove for snowy items when we are under heat advisories daily (this is, after all, Louisiana). 

It looks like I will have to just knuckle down, set the thermostat lower, and dig in to that pile of ornaments though, in between rounds of loading and unloading a river of orange, purple, and black every weekend! 

Here is a shot of my space at the Mall St. Vincent market--a new opportunity the mall is starting for artists and artisans and other vendors.  

I had a lot of items, but it was a two-day event so I figured it was worth a little extra setup time.

I am quite pleased with the wood display risers I got for free.  They give me some visual interest and allow me room to arrange items better.  Heavy to transport but they stabilize the two tables as well.  

See y'all at the vendor fairs!

Looking back--that awful first booth

 My first time out at a maker's fair was a complete disaster.  I made just about every mistake it was possible to make.  Some of them were monumental. I had a borrowed  tent.  I had no idea how to put the canopy on it.  After my husband and I wrangled with it an hour we decided I could live without shade.  And of course there was no chance of rain predicted.

It rained buckets for 45 minutes.  We stood there trying to hold the unattached canopy over most of my stuff.  Then the sun came out and we were standing there in soaking wet clothes.  

I had priced my items haphazardly and had to prop them against each other and my makeshift tables because I had no walls or hanging spaces.  The prices were written with magic marker on masking tape.  In the midst of 45 other professional looking booths I looked like I was at the tail end of a garage sale. 

But I sold one small painting. That meant I made a profit of $15 for the day.  My husband closed his eyes and shook his head silently.  He could tell --I was planning to do it again.

That was back in 2016.  I have since done a lot of investigating online and at other shows to get ideas for what to do. I experienced a LOT of what NOT to do (especially at that first time).

So now, I have a straight-leg, easy setup white tent with

sidewalls, tent weights, two folding tables, fitted table covers that cover the mess under the tables, and most useful of all, an assortment of gridwall panels that I can configure to maximize my space in just about any circumstance.  Believe me, not all 10'x10' spaces are alike.  And some organizers don't measure very well.  Some shows will only have space for a table.  You have to just be ready to adapt, no matter what.

And you have to take your neighbors into consideration.  Most of them will be good people.  But every now and then you will run across one who creates a need for a barrier.  They may spill over into your space. Or have a very distracting booth space themself.  Or ambush your customers and move with them into their own space. (this one is especially irritating, and it is NOT acceptable to whack them over the head with a heavy object, no matter how appealing that sounds--sticking a piece of gridwall full of paintings in the way works just as well and has fewer consequences)

Having a booth is always more fun when sales are good.  But that isn't the only thing you are doing there.  You are presenting yourself and your art, and may make contacts with

future customers who see your work and come find you.  I always have a supply of my business cards, which contain my social media handles as well as my name and contact information.  Don't be afraid to hand them out, that's why you have them!  I also keep an email sign up (with the pen tied to the clipboard or else it leaves) so I can send out my little newsletters,  I don't send them if I don't have something to say, so most people don't mind getting them.  

There are a ton of free craft fair checklists available online to start out with, but you can keep track of what works for you and what doesn't and add or subtract items from the list as you gain experience. 

You do well to use one as a starting point to cover the "must take" items and check them off each go-round.  Learn from each new experience, be it good or bad.  And enjoy getting out there!  Your space is YOUR show, and you WILL connect with the right market if you just keep trying new things and evolving.

Share some of YOUR booth photos--good or bad--along with comments on this post!

WHO'S THE BEST BONDING PRIMER OF THEM ALL?

I have gotten in the habit of bringing home all different kinds of items to paint.  I don't just shop all the sales at stores.  I make lots of trips to thrift stores, garage sales, and flea markets. And I bring the car to a screeching halt to check out promising piles of discards on the curb. I have snagged canvases, frames, lumber, and furniture.  LOTS of furniture.  Upcycling is fun to do, and can turn someone's trash into someone else's treasure while making me a little money. (art for art's sake is nice, but the electric company still expects cash)

Painting on any surface that already has a finish in it can be very tricky though.  While your painting may look nice, if it won't stick to the surface you wind up with a finished piece that cannot handle any kind of use.  Who wants a chair or a table that loses its paint with every casual touch?

I paint mostly in acrylic, so I need a reliable way to cover a previous finish. I have sanded a couple. But sanding a large piece before painting is horribly time consuming.  I want to find a quick and easy alternative.  Sure hope there is one!

I tried using housepaint once.  BIG mistake!  It did not bond to the wood, so the primer plus all my painting peeled off in large, floppy strips.

I ran across a good product from Dixie Belle paint that is called "slick stick". 

This primer coat was developed specifically to allow decorative artists to paint over glossy finished surfaces and adhere the paint.  I was impressed with the results.  Unfortunately it is a little in the pricey side, so I have had to save it for really special projects.

One tip for using Slick Stick by Dixie Belle paint: always cover the mouth of the jar with plastic wrap before you screw the lid back on.  When they say it adheres well, they are not kidding.  It will adhere to both the lid AND the jar, making getting the jar open next time a real workout.

I tried using DecoArt's paint adhesion medium, with some good results.

 It is easy to mix with your basecoat paint.  But it comes in little bottles.  To tackle a large piece of furniture you would have to have a LOT of those little bottles.

One good thing about using Dixie Belle and DecoArt products:  you are dealing with good, reputable companies that specialize in decorative painting products.  One thing you DON'T want is an unpleasant surprise. (No, I don't get any kickbacks from these companies--I just like their products for this.)

I asked the manager of a local paint company if he had a primer that would work.  He advised me to read the label carefully, and always look for the words "bonding primer" in the title and description of the product.  I have tried several out--with mixed results.  Some have left a lot of brush marks or sponge marks no matter what tool I used, others have not had good adhesion to the surface. I was often not sure what type of finish I was covering up, (oil based? water based?) so I don't know if that impacted results or not.  

I also tried spraying pieces with a matte varnish, but sometimes this just caused bubbling or crackling of the original finish.  Wound up making more work for myself.

So I am opening the floor for discussion here.  Have any readers found a good solution?  Please share it in the comments.  I would love to find a dependable, affordable, step one for upcycles!!

Here are 3 of my successful upcycles of curbside browsing.  I am currently taking on a huge one--a dining table with matching chairs.