Image via Illustrator/Lauren Barr
Art and activism do different things in the world. Activism is action to enact change. Art elicits an emotional response. When you merge the creative power of art with the strategic planning of activism, you get a catalyst for social change.
What happens when you add beer to the mix? Then you get dialogue. And one Hamilton brewery is speaking truth to power in a big way.
Renowned for the wicked rolling artwork featured on their bottles and cans, Collective Arts is using their privilege and platform to highlight artists whose art deals with issues of social justice in a limited-edition series called Amplified Voices.
Collective Arts puts a call out for art every three months. For Amplified Voices, last summer they geared their call for art towards protest art. They received more than 1,000 submissions from around the world. Their curator panel selected 36 pieces to make up the limited-edition series.
Matt Johnston, Collective Arts co-founder and CEO, realizes, “There is an undeniable global call to action to fight injustice—particularly anti-Black violence and inequity faced by BIPOC around the world. Making beer has given us a platform and we understand that this is a privilege most don’t get to enjoy. We intend to use our platform to amplify the voices that need to be heard to drive change.”
The selected works convey provocative topics that challenge the status quo and envision a more inclusive future. “We believe in the power of creativity and community,” Johnston states. “Creative expression can present new perspectives, be disruptive, and challenge the status quo. Our Amplified Voices series was conceived under our core belief that creativity can help make the world a better place and we are sincerely grateful to all of the artists who have shared their creativity with us.”
Collective Arts is aiming to raise $10,000 through their Collective More charity initiative and a GoFundMe page to help organizations that support Black and Indigenous communities in Canada and the United States: The Black Legal Action Centre Ontario, The Native Women’s Association of Canada, and The Black Art Futures Fund.
Check out some of the artists featured in the series:
Maia Faddoul
Location: Montreal, Quebec
Art title:Flag Waver
“I think Collective Arts is a wonderful platform that allows visual artists to have their works broadcasted in a way that shows the consumer how important art is in our everyday. Having illustrations on packaging can sometimes go overlooked, but with the efforts of Collective Arts, the work of visual artists gets showcased and highlighted, and I think that’s really special.
Frank "Franx" Barbara
Location: Toronto, Ontario
Art title: Justice Amplified
”Informed by a background in screen printing, my aesthetic is an amalgam of sharp, crisp graphics and organic, gritty textures. Conceptually, my work is often steeped in healthy doses of pop culture, cryptozoology, and humor. I like to play with unlikely combinations that might serve to reveal a previously unnoticed commonality or connection. My piece, Justice Amplified, is inspired by “Lady Justice,” the allegorical personification of justice. Commonly represented as a silent, stoic figure, I’ve chosen, instead, to depict her as a vocal, tenacious warrior, championing issues of social justice.
Tyrell Waiters
Location: San Francisco, California
Art title: Right to Exist
“My good friend Kennan and I came up with the concept behind the Right to Exist piece. The concept was inspired by a discussion about the right to breathe after the murder of George Floyd. After a few rounds of brainstorming Kennan and I thought we should do something that could be more inclusive of everyone. So he came up with the concept of Right to Exist. After hearing his idea I immediately thought of something that would help get our point across by making our own version of Mount Rushmore that would stand out, signify power, and uplift those who saw it. So I went with the Black Power Fist carved out of the mountainside. I wanted to show people of different races and gender coming together to show unity. As Martin Luther Jr. said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” That is why it has been so encouraging to see all of the people united during the protests because the only way we can overcome injustice is together. We are all fighting for the right to exis,t so it was important to show everyone together, unified fighting for what is rightfully ours: FREEDOM.”
Dinah Poku
Location: Hamburg, Germany
Art title: See the Struggle
“Since discrimination and racism are always relevant and important issues, I mainly focus on painting Black women. I try to reconstruct, express, and spread the strength of the women who I chose to draw. I would classify myself as a hobby artist in development because I still have a lot of room to grow, but I hope to evolve to someone who can spread their message and art around the world.”
Rafael Mathias Bertoldo
Location: Toronto, Ontario
Art title: Justice for Indigenous Women
“We all must fight together for justice on behalf of missing and murdered Indigenous women. This piece is part of a series of pictograms designed in response to the violence experienced by Indigenous women, girls, and two-spirit people.”
Lauren Barr
Location: Brooklyn, New York
Art title: Love is Love
“This piece is one of a four-part series created for Pride month, visualizing the connectedness between various people in the LGBTQ+ community. Love is love no matter what you look like or who you identify as!”
G Pack
Location: Marriottsville, Maryland
Art title: Agent-47
“Over time, art has become essential to me primarily for one reason: communication. I am a very quiet person, and a very sensitive person. I tend not to reveal any more than I need to, especially to those that I don’t know. The ability to paint has given me a voice to express energy and feeling without the use of any words. Early on, inspiration would only stem from dark places, such as tension or frustration. However, as I continued to paint, I continued to learn more about myself. This led to constantly challenging myself to not only grow as an artist, but as an individual as well. Every day that I get to visually express the thoughts and emotions that are flooding through my mind is a blessing. It is genuinely the most peaceful, relieving feeling that I have ever felt. To all of those who view my collection, I hope that there is a spark somewhere between your inner visions and mine. These pieces are a true reflection of my mind in its rawest form.”
Shalak Attack
Location: Toronto, Ontario
Art title: “Lo que la vida planta, la muerte cosecha” / “What life plants, death harvests”
“This piece tells a story of the cycle of life, its fragility and strength. Inspired by the spirit of my late Abuelita Hilda (grandmother), I envisioned her in her youth with the abundance of life exuding from her; she became a godlike cultivator, planting seedlings that she carries on her back. They are each personified and have their own emotions of being planted in this big garden, they bloom into flowers, each living their existence until Death comes to harvest and collect them. This story reminds us that death is part of a circular life journey that does not have a beginning nor an end. On the surface the flowers seem to grow as individuals, but under the soil they are all interconnected through complex root and microorganism systems; a thought about life existing as symbiotic communities. Plant, animal, mineral, and the natural elements all flourish as an intertwined entity.”
Jessica Buizon
Location: Toronto, Ontario
Art title: “I’m With Her”
“‘I’m With Her’ was created with a project of allyship and empowerment in mind. By working as a part-time graphic designer for a space geared towards helping sexual assault survivors and allies, I often create graphics to explore the narratives of relationships, sisterhood, and growing up even outside of work.”
