July 2023, The New Press
Reviewed by Chris Garlock
What happens after Election Day 2024? The best answer I’ve seen comes from Art Works, by longtime organizer and strategist Ken Grossinger.
Let me hasten to assure you that Art Works is not your usual political book, as evidenced by its subtitle, “How Organizers and Artists Are Creating a Better World Together.” This slim volume, I would argue, is the perfect handbook for the battles that are sure to come, no matter who wins in November.
Published just a year ago, Art Works is an inspirational read, deftly weaving together on-the-ground stories into Grossinger’s overall theme of the necessity of “fusing politics and culture.” Artist-activists, says Grossinger (who’s a longtime personal friend, dating back to when we both worked for the AFL-CIO), “tap popular culture to tell important truths” and have “played pivotal roles in virtually all movements for a more just and equitable society.” Among other cultural projects, he’s co-executive produced the award-winning Netflix documentaries The Social Dilemma and The Bleeding Edge. He was also director of Impact Philanthropy at Democracy Partners.
This idea of the power and central importance of art and culture is the animating spirit behind the Labor Heritage Foundation, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, and where I serve as Executive Director. Yet when fundamentals like our very democracy are on the line, the arts can feel like a luxury and a distraction from life-or-death battles at the ballot box, in Congress, at the Supreme Court.
In just six gripping chapters replete with fascinating tales from the frontlines, Grossinger vividly illustrates how art and culture can actually have a more profound impact on society, noting that “The political pendulum keeps swinging, but a shift in public attitudes can make the gains harder to undo.” As the nation seems to be lurching toward another such swing, Art Works provides a timely reminder that a movement’s music, film, theater, and, yes, even our museums, are not “extras” to be set aside, but the very tools and weapons we need most. It nicely illustrates Margaret Mead’s maxim, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed individuals can change the world. In fact, it's the only thing that ever has."
Read the whole review on Portside