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Artwork for ART IS CHANGE: Strategies & Skills for Activist Artists & Cultural Organizers

ART IS CHANGE: Strategies & Skills for Activist Artists & Cultural Organizers

Bill Cleveland
Animating Democracy
Social Justice
Bighart
Conflict Transformation
Environmental Justice
Social Change
Community Development
Community Engagement
Chicano Art
Arts-Animated Democracy
Alternate Roots
Creative Expression
Community Healing
Peacebuilding
Arts
Dr. Subhasis Banerji
Civil Rights
Democracy
Jewish and Palestinian Communities
Youth Mental Health

Can your art help dismantle injustice, shift systems, or spark healing in places like homeless shelters, emergency rooms, or city planning meetings? If you’re passionate about making a real difference through creativity, ART IS CHANGE (formerly known as Change the Story / Change the World) is your front-row seat to the real-world impact of art and social change. Hosted by author, musician, and res... more

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes171Founded6 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
ArtsSociety & Culture

Listen to this Podcast

Artwork for ART IS CHANGE: Strategies & Skills for Activist Artists & Cultural Organizers

Latest Episodes

Is Community-Based Artmaking

at the Heart of Cultural Democracy?

In this conversation, community arts organizer, educator and theater maker Matt Schwarzman describes his mission to make collaborative art making a regular, normal, expected part of ... more

What happens when artists step forward not just to create, but to defend the freedom to create?

In this opening episode of a new Art in Action series produced with the Charles F. Kettering Foundation, Bill Cleveland speaks with Joni Doherty, Senior ... more

You can feel it in the air.

Across museums, national parks, libraries, and cultural institutions, the pressure around what can be said — and what must disappear — is tightening.

But while federal policies attempt to narrow the public cultural space... more

Arts On Prescription: What if your doctor prescribed an arts-based treatment for what ails you and your health insurance paid for it.

YEAH RIGHT! Actually, Yeah, right, and REALLY! In this episode we learn all about it in Arts on Prescription: A Fie... more

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Recent Guests

Joni Doherty
Senior Program Officer for Democracy in the Arts at the Kettering Foundation
Charles F. Kettering Foundation
Episode: 169: Joni Doherty: ART IN ACTION Is Fueling Free Expression & Democracy
Kim Snyder
Film director discussing book bans and civic engagement
PBS
Episode: Arts Freedom Weather Report: The MAGA Squeeze Is Provoking Creative Resistance
Mark Bamuthi Joseph
Renowned artist and cultural figure
Kennedy Center
Episode: Arts Freedom Weather Report: The MAGA Squeeze Is Provoking Creative Resistance
Cameron Collins
Festival promoter involved in Punk in the Park controversy
Brujaha Productions
Episode: Arts Freedom Weather Report: The MAGA Squeeze Is Provoking Creative Resistance
Jill Sonke
Director/Researcher at Center for Arts in Medicine, University of Florida
University of Florida, Center for Arts in Medicine
Episode: 167: Arts ON Prescription: Radical Art & Social Change in Healthcare
Tasha Golden
Director of Research at International Arts & Mind Lab, Johns Hopkins
Johns Hopkins Medicine / International Arts & Mind Lab
Episode: 167: Arts ON Prescription: Radical Art & Social Change in Healthcare
Arlene Goldbart
Author of The Intercessor
Episode: 165: The Intercessor - Art, Faith, & Repair in the MAGA Maelstrom
Marquise Bowie
Poet, writer, and cultural ambassador
Episode: 163: Arts Freedom Weather Report: MINNEAPOLIS JAN. 2026
Alan Jenkins
Civil rights lawyer, former Ford Foundation program director, Harvard Law School professor, and comic book author
Episode: 162: Alan Jenkins: These Art & Social Change Superpowers Can Help Save Democracy

Host

Bill Cleveland
Host of ART IS CHANGE; author, musician, and researcher focused on activist art, social change, and community resilience.

Reviews

4.9 out of 5 stars from 26 ratings
  • Thoughtful and insightful and timely

    Podchaser
    5
    etedtaylor28
    15 days ago
  • A resounding yes!

    When I was in my 20s I used to read this magazine called Yes! as an antidote to all the bad news that was “The News. “ Art is Change is another antidote in a time it’s especially needed…full of inspiration, hope, courage and pragmatism!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Sofia114
    United States10 months ago
  • Art is Change!

    This podcast is inspiring and useful. A rare and great combo.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    LoomerPas
    United States10 months ago
  • What a gem, what a resource!

    Wholehearted thank you to Mr. Cleveland for this archive of transformative practices.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    qqqqqqqzzzzzzzzeee
    United Statesa year ago
  • These are conversations that connect human creativity to community building, healing, and change. So many different takes on that proposition. So much to learn. And really entertaining too.

    Podchaser
    5
    wtc756110724
    3 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Listeners praise the practical, hopeful approach to tough topics.
These insights feel like real-world playbooks for activists and artists alike.
Guests are described as generous with experience and actionable guidance.
The show is viewed as a valuable archive of transformative practices in art and activism.

Top Arts Podcasts

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

163: Arts Freedom Weather Report: MINNEAPOLIS JAN. 2026
Q: So do you feel like in this moment where the folks in Washington seem to be putting everybody in the same basket, that it's a lesson for folks who have never been in this basket before?
I would say yes, but it's about power. It's about keeping the status quo.
163: Arts Freedom Weather Report: MINNEAPOLIS JAN. 2026
Q: Marquis, if you're willing, just to share what your experience is over these past few months that Minneapolis has been invaded and how it's affected you and your work and the people that you work with.
It's been a little hectic. I live in between where George Floyd got murdered and where Renee got killed.
159 What Can We Learn From Activist Artists in Australia: PART 2
Q: How are you approaching something of this scale?
It's about recalibrating our approach and being open to the lessons learned over time, through community engagement and understanding.
159 What Can We Learn From Activist Artists in Australia: PART 2
Q: Could you say something about what it takes to make work that is both focused and rigorous and so highly adaptive to changing conditions?
It requires careful listening and an understanding of the community context, taking a long-term view rather than working with set deadlines.
157 What Can We Learn From Activist Artists in Australia? Part 1
Q: Can you tell us about one of the many things that you have done that personifies cultural justice and the right to thrive?
Scott Rankin describes a project related to Albert Namajira and the fight for copyright access for his descendants, which highlights the intersection of art, community, and justice.

Audience Metrics

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Frequently Asked Questions About This Podcast

What is This Podcast about and what kind of topics does it cover?

This show centers activist artists and cultural organizers who apply creative practice to social change, community healing, and democratic resilience. Episodes frequently explore how art can document injustice, build cross-sector partnerships, and intervene in systems—ranging from libraries and museums to healthcare and public policy. Guests often bring lived experience from arts organizations, social justice work, or academic research, offering practical strategies, field guides, and real-world case studies for sustaining impact in challenging political climates. A notable strength is its ability to translate theory into actionable tactics—for activists, funders, and practitioners seeking tangible community outcomes—while highlighting coll... more

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1. How to Survive the End of the World
2. Becoming the People Podcast with Prentis Hemphill
3. On Being with Krista Tippett
4. Love in a F*cked Up World
5. Democracy Now! Audio

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this podcast launched 6 years ago and published 171 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on this podcast?

Recent guests on this podcast include:

1. Joni Doherty
2. Kim Snyder
3. Mark Bamuthi Joseph
4. Cameron Collins
5. Jill Sonke
6. Tasha Golden
7. Arlene Goldbart
8. Marquise Bowie

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