When most people think about the entertainment industry, they picture the funniest TV show on Netflix or hum one of their favorite songs. While film and music are two important areas in the field of entertainment, it also includes visual art, literature, newspapers, and mixed-media creations. Furthermore, many artists go beyond simply amusing people and use their work to address social issues. Learn about the ways that artists are changing society for the better in these areas.
Painting and Drawing
Painting and drawing have always been some of the most popular ways to raise awareness because they can be accessed by everybody. Even children who can’t read understand that something is wrong when they see paintings such as Norman Rockwell’s “The Problem We All Live With,” which depicts Ruby Bridges walking to school between four marshalls. The questions they may ask about the painting can prompt conversations about segregation and racism, educating the next generation more effectively than a history textbook.
Other artists use paintings and drawings to raise both awareness and funds for causes they care about. After Breonna Taylor’s murder, Ashley Longshore painted a portrait of Taylor. Then she sold the work and gave part of the funds to the American Civil Liberties Union in Louisiana. Such tactics allow artists to use their talent to change people’s viewpoints on an issue while also contributing concretely to the solution.
Music
Other artists prefer to reach people through music. Some people rely on the words of their songs to give their listeners hope, as in Pete Seeger’s famous anthem “We Shall Overcome.” Others point out problems with their lyrics, as Bob Dylan does in his 1964 hit “The Times They Are a-Changin’.” Since songs tend to get stuck in listeners’ heads, artists are almost guaranteed to catch their attention for an extended amount of time.
Other composers use instrumental music to reach their audience less overtly but just as effectively. For example, Adolphus Hailstork’s “American Guernica” uses the instruments of a wind ensemble to tell the story of the four girls killed when a Birmingham church was bombed in 1963. Sometimes people do not understand the meaning behind similar pieces, but with the help of program notes, instrumental music can motivate its listeners as much as vocal music.
Films
When people think of ways of causing change through film, they usually think of documentaries. Within this genre, directors and their crews travel all across the world and highlight injustices that people would never hear about otherwise. Frequently, directors also use the proceeds from their films to help the people they featured. Some documentaries focus on the Earth rather than people, as in major series such as “Planet Earth.” Nature documentaries are meant to put people in awe of the planet and drive them to treat it with more respect.
Another meaningful film genre involves directors dramatizing historical events to increase their emotional impact on audiences. For example, Spike Lee’s film “BlacKkKlansman” is based on the true story of an undercover police officer who infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan, but the director and screenwriters made several changes to make the story more cinematic.
Fictional movies can also raise awareness about social issues. Many animated children’s movies such as “The Lorax” teach children about their responsibility to each other and the planet while entertaining them. Similarly, the musical “Les Miserables” reminds adult viewers of how damaging poverty is but also gives them hope for the future.
Literature
You probably can’t count the number of times you have heard “The pen is mightier than the sword.” This is true whether an author uses his or her pen to write memoirs, biographies, historical fiction, realistic fiction, or fantasy. Prose takes more time to impact audiences because it takes much more time to read a book than to listen to a song. However, literature’s themes often have a greater effect because they take so much longer to develop. For example, Khaled Hosseini’s “The Kite Runner” is over 370 pages long, but it gives readers a thorough understanding of human rights issues in Afghanistan.
Other authors prefer to express their messages through poetry, not prose. Although most people don’t care to read poetry the way they do novels, poems are usually much shorter than books and can be printed in newspapers or shared on social media. This makes it easier for poets to reach a wider audience. One famous poet who used his work to protest racism is Langston Hughes. Many of his works, such as “I, Too” and “Let America Be America Again,” express Hughes’s anger at the Jim Crow era and his dreams for a better future.
No matter the medium, many artists use their work to address issues about which they are passionate. When you listen to a song and start to tear up or feel angry because of a painting’s subject, you participate in their calls to action.