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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
Art
Democracy
Social Justice
Social Change
Community Engagement
Storytelling
Imagination
Creativity
Breaking Ice
Authoritarianism
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Prison System
Morals and Ethics
Public Art
Bighart
Animating Democracy
Activism
National Endowment For the Arts
Community
Minneapolis

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

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes181Founded6 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

What happens when a soldier comes

home from war and discovers that music

can heal the wounds the doctors missed?

In this episode, I sit down with musician, songwriter, veteran, and outspoken truth-teller Sean Martin. Sean’s journey takes us from... more

What does it actually take to build a

lasting cross-sector community arts partnership?

In this episode, I return to a lesson I learned more than forty years ago in one of the most unlikely classrooms imaginable: the California prison system during... more

In this episode of ART IS CHANGE, theater artist and educator Derek Goldman shares how performance can become a civic practice — not simply entertainment, but a way for people to reconnect with themselves, each other, and the deeper responsibilities ... more

What happens when Artists are embedded

inside the systems that run the world?

--- hospitals, railroads, steel mills, shipping companies, government ministries...

In this episode, we explore the the strange, funny, visionary, and unexpectedly in... more

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Recent Guests

Derek Goldman
Theater artist and co-developer of In Your Shoes; co-director of projects at Lab for Global Performance & Politics
Georgetown University; Lab for Global Performance & Politics
Episode: Derek Goldman: What Happens When the Stranger Walks In Your Shoes?
Barbara Steveni
Artist and co-creator, APG / Organization & Imagination
Artist Placement Group / Organization & Imagination
Episode: 177: Organization & Imagination - What Happens When Actvist Artists Take Root in the System
Suzanne Brennan Firstenberg
Social practice artist
DC area studio (Bethesda)
Episode: 175: Suzanne Firstenberg Asks: How Can Art Help Make the Unseen Visible When People Look Away?
Ann Cleveland
Waldorf teacher, musician, movement educator
Waldorf School
Episode: 174: Anne Cleveland - How Arts-infused Education Supports Democracy
Jordan Seaberry
Painter, organizer, educator and leader at USDAC; uses art as a civic practice
US Department of Arts and Culture (USDAC)
Episode: 172: Jordan Seaberry - What Use is Art Making When Freedom is Under Fire?
Nathay Semelon
Artist proof studio representative
Artist Proof Studio
Episode: 171: Artist Proof Studio - What Can We Learn From Activist Artists in South Africa
Drujon Brink
Artist from Johannesburg area
Episode: 171: Artist Proof Studio - What Can We Learn From Activist Artists in South Africa
Matthew Schwarzman
Community-based arts organizer, educator and theater maker
New Orleans-based artist and organizer
Episode: 170: Is Community Based-art Making at the Heart of Cultural Democracy?
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

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 27 ratings
  • Thoughtful and insightful and timely

    Podchaser
    5
    etedtaylor28
    3 months 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 Statesa year ago
  • Art is Change!

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

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    LoomerPas
    United Statesa year 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.

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Derek Goldman: What Happens When the Stranger Walks In Your Shoes?
Q: How does Performing One Another begin and what are the core steps?
It starts with creating a circle, making eye contact, and having each person say their full name; it then moves to naming a place of significance, choosing a person not present, and concluding with simple, truthful personal statements before transitioning to a second phase of dialogue.
172: Jordan Seaberry - What Use is Art Making When Freedom is Under Fire?
Q: Could you talk a little about where that impulse to serve came from and how it rose up?
The impulse felt like a force of nature composed of events, spaces, and mentors; a childhood exposure to community needs, a shift from art to political organizing, and mentors who broadened his perspective helped him see that service and art could be braided together.
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.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

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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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this podcast launched 6 years ago and published 181 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. Derek Goldman
2. Barbara Steveni
3. Suzanne Brennan Firstenberg
4. Ann Cleveland
5. Jordan Seaberry
6. Nathay Semelon
7. Drujon Brink
8. Matthew Schwarzman

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