Love, Art and Revolution

Abstract

A true revolution must begin in our individual conscious hearts and simultaneously expand into the consciousness of the world one community at a time. Without a transgressive revolution, the redistribution of power will not result in replacing the rotten framework. Through the analysis of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s view of love and nonviolent revolution and Paulo Freire and his prescriptive approach to revolution through love, as well as other readers, I posit that a real revolution cannot occur by the use of violence. Because it is the work of artists to highlight oppression; make it understandable, engaging, and impactful, I investigate two art practices and how they affect change in their communities using the problem-posing praxis method: Theater of the Oppressed and The Laundromat Project. While there are many art practices working in this realm, I studied with these organizations while attending to my graduate studies at Purchase College.