Law in Art and Art in Law: Charting a New Course for Society

Law can move civilization forwards or backwards. Some cutting-edge artists are moving from protest activism to engage in legal policy as an art form to change our world. What strategies are these artists employing? What are the issues confronting these artists? The practice of law is a powerful but closed, arcane, and is a pre- proscribed system. One decision from a single case can change rights and protections for all artists. In any legal decision, the status quo of common values can always be questioned and sometimes changed.

We invite proposals from any discipline that addresses this new field. Litigator Gale Elston and ecoartivist Aviva Rahmani, will moderate to explore how and why artists can impact social and environmental justice when they engage with the legal system as an extension of an art practice and what challenges they may encounter when they do. In 2018, Rahmani and Elston collaborated to win an injunction against a fictional fossil fuel company in a mock trial at the Cardozo School of Law, NYC.

Gale Elston is a prominent art law attorney, and author of, "Art Law For Creators," (pub. Archive Press 2024). She has litigated art law for 40 years. Ecoartist Aviva Rahmani, is the creator of Blued Trees, the author of Divining Chaos; The Autobiography Of An Idea and co-author of Ecoart In Action; Activities, Case Studies, and Provocations for Classrooms and Communities (both pub. New Village Press 2022).