From Protest to Propaganda: A History of Activist Art in Britain, 1845-1918

This project aims to change the paradigm by producing the first definitive account of the origins and history of art activism. When we think of activist movements, often the first thing that comes to mind is an image: the peace sign of the anti-war movement, the raised fist of Black Power, and, more recently, the Guy Fawkes mask of the Occupy Movement. Activists have long recognised the power of images, not only to symbolise their campaigns, but also as tools to facilitate social or political change. The production of art designed to provoke change, known as art activism, is today a common practice, and art activists like Ai Weiwei and the Guerrilla Girls are celebrated by the art establishment, their artworks and methods scrupulously analysed and theorised by historians of contemporary art. Yet scholars of art activism have thus far focused nearly exclusively on art produced over the last thirty years. Research has therefore overlooked the true depth of the practice's history, which began much earlier and was far more widespread than current narratives suggest.

Vastly extending the chronological scope of the field, this research will demonstrate that the values and political strategies we see in today's productive culture of art activism were preceded by hugely influential-but thus far unstudied-artistic programmes devised by activist movements between the mid-nineteenth century and the end of the First World War in Britain. The nation hailed as having 'created the social movement' (Tilly, 1982), Britain was also at the vanguard in the use of art as a political strategy. Beginning with a select group of politically-minded artists in the 1840s (e.g. Watts, Richard Redgrave, Daniel Macdonald), the practice of art activism quickly spread to become a critical method for groups like the Chartists, Socialists, anti-child labour campaigners, Irish Home Rule supporters, Suffragettes, deaf equality advocates, and promotors of dress reform and animal rights, amongst others. These groups put the visual arts to use in systematic campaigns to generate change, commissioning images designed for the purpose of changing minds and spurring action. Such was the success of these tactics that by 1914, having witnessed the influence of art produced by groups like the suffrage movement, the British government adopted an equivalent artistic programme as a key home front strategy in the First World War.

By foregrounding art's significance in activist campaigns throughout the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, this portfolio of research and engagement activities will recover the crucial role of images in British political movements, tracing its transformation from an experimental political strategy into a method so successful that it was ultimately adopted by the very government it had so often been designed to undermine. Contributing to ongoing critical debates in the study of both art activism and political movements, this project aims to alter both fields by integrating art within discussions of activist history and demonstrating how art's influence revises scholarly understandings of the growth of political participation and social campaigning during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Furthermore, through an innovative interdisciplinary approach, combining forms of analysis from art history, history, and sociology, this project will develop and implement a new, transferrable methodology, capable of being applied to future studies of art activism in both historic and contemporary contexts. Extensive archival research, primarily undertaken in London, will enable rigorous scholarly assessment of individual activist artists, artworks, and art movements in order to contextualise them within their social and political milieux, assess their strategies and influence, and evaluate their impacts. The research will result in a monograph, scholarly articles, an exhibition, a workshop, and an art masterclass.

This project will reach a wide range of stakeholders beyond academia, as follows:

1) Organisations and individuals in the creative and cultural industries will benefit, including:

a) Watts Gallery: This project helps fulfil its central mission 'to be a national centre for the study of Victorian and early 20th century art, design, and social history' by staging an exhibition that will increase its intellectual profile and shed new light on the Victorian and Edwardian era's culture and politics. The scale of the exhibition (Watts Gallery received 65K visitors last year), the compelling nature of its theme, and a public talk by art activists the Guerrilla Girls will help to expand Watts Gallery's audience by attracting visitors from the surrounding area, London, and beyond. Increased footfall will facilitate wealth creation, increasing revenue through ticket sales (avg. admission £4.18), memberships, shop and café purchases (avg. spend per visitor £8.51 and £6.04, respectively), as well as drawing new visitors to the pubs, shops, and other services in the village of Compton.

b) Artists: The project will benefit activist artists in different stages of their professional careers, including emergent as well as eminent artists. The masterclass will provide 15 emerging art activists with the opportunity to enrich their understanding of the history of their practice and discuss ways of incorporating historic art activist approaches into their work; present their artistic plans for feedback; network with other practitioners; and attend an art activism talk and training session with the Guerrilla Girls. Eminent activist artists, the Guerrilla Girls (who have agreed to participate), will fulfil their aim of increasing awareness of activism and assisting others to produce art activist projects by holding a talk (open to the public) and a training session (for masterclass participants).

c) Platform London: By collaborating with Platform London on the interdisciplinary workshop, this project will provide a key networking opportunity for the charity, drawing together an international audience of researchers, activists, and artists with a vested interest in the group's art activist programmes, leading to potential new collaborations and funding sources. The journal article I will co-author with PL's James Marriott and Jane Trowell to submit to October will help position the group at the forefront of discussion on the long-term impacts of art activist interventions, a key concern for the charity.

2) The general public: The exhibition, workshop, feature articles, and public talk by the Guerrilla Girls will enhance and enrich the public's awareness of activist art, both its historic manifestations and its contemporary practices. These activities will also increase public understanding of art's relationship to politics and its capacity for influencing change, a concept crucial in reinforcing the value of art at a time of declining funding for the arts and art education. The collaboration with Platform London will ensure that the workshop is publicised to wide publics engaged with art activism, including activists, artists, and charity workers. Feature articles will be pitched to The Guardian and Art News, the most widely circulated arts magazine, ensuring maximum coverage. With assistance from the Watts Gallery education team, the exhibition will be enhanced by programmes for audiences with particular needs, giving tailored exhibition access to children and adults with limited access to the arts, as detailed in Pathways to Impact.