Taking it to the Streets: The Art of Social Justice

This paper examines four community-based projects/workshops that utilize the cathartic power of printmaking as a tool to grapple with social justice issues. The Jazz Funerary tradition of New Orleans is used as a philosophical framework for the workshops to guide participants though the process of loss and recovery. The first part of the funeral is called the Dirge, which is a mournful tune played in honor of the deceased. The music transitions into an up-tempo celebratory tune called the Second Line once the body is laid to rest. If we extract the tenets of the Dirge and the Second Line, the Dirge represents the everyday issues we confront societally, whereas the Second Line is the space we collectively venture to foster healing and restoration. This paper will offer unique strategies for communities to grapple with issues such as: race and class, history of American slavery, the shifting and eroding working class, and long term systemic issues of faith practices in our communities. This paper will show academic institutions, museums, community centers, and faith centers how they can utilize the experiential nature of art to openly redress the deep wounds in the heart of America toward healing and restoration.