How is art a form of protest today? Manifestos
- Jun 21
- 4 min read
Can art be a form of protest? Does art really work as resistance? And how can you make protest art?
In times like these, it's natural to wonder if art is really important. If writing, music, performance, and other creative work really matters.
I find hope and inspiration from looking at stories of artists using their work to resist the status quo. Manifestos, past and present, are a powerful example to show the way.
Listen to this story!
INTRODUCTION
Use the word manifesto today, and our understanding may, at the least, verge on bad.
Think of what the news calls manifestos: the self-congratulatory jerkoffs documents from school shooters and women killers.
Think of what right-wingers call manifestos: the evil of Karl Marx and his communist manifesto.
Think of what companies call manifestos. Brands get to play with a sort of faux rebellion by using the term manifesto to sell shit we don’t need. Corporations co-opt the idea, naming their branding guidelines and value statements manifestos, to seem edgy and real and definitely not exploiting their workers.
But real manifestos: these are deeply revolutionary. Deeply anti-capitalist. Deeply feminist and intersectional.
And these are the manifestos we’re going to focus on today.
Manifestos used to be a tool of those in power. Starting in the late 1700s, kings and church leaders and the military issued manifestos as a sort of press release. The goal was to communicate the will of those in power.
But, perhaps because of this, the rebellious sort started using manifestos to defy those in power. More and more, the manifesto became a document of revolution. In 1848, The Communist Manifesto, demonstrated this new turn, advocating for an entire upending of the way society works.
Manifestos in the 1900s became increasingly wild and crazy. Urgent. Raw and ragged. Pissed off. Desperate. Hopeful. All in one heady mix of text.
And some of them are just as relevant today as they were then.
Simply put, manifestos can be statements of beliefs and intentions. They can be serious, or deeply satirical and silly. They can be long proclamations, or short declarations.
No matter form or lengths, Manifestos are screams into the sky. They’re a collective voice of millions, or a tiny but terrible voice of a few. They are claims to power by those who are powerless.
And most of the time, the manifestos can seem completely unreasonable. Completely unrealistic. They have no patience for taking things slow, for moderation, for incremental change. They don’t give a fuck about being respectable earning some kind of attention. Fuck that, the manifestos say. We are loud, proud, and demand change now.
As a result, manifestos are a unique reading experience. Especially when they’re made by women, queer folks, bipoc, and other groups often locked out of power.
And many, many times, manifestos are analog. They’re newsprint. Flyers. Wheat-pasted posters. Zines. They’re physical art of the kind we see less and less. Which makes them so much more powerful and special in our digital age.
So today we’re focusing on these kinds of manifestos. In this episode you’ll hear five different manifestos from across time and missions.
I Want a President
First up: the short manifesto from 1992, called “I Want a President.” It comes from Zoe Leonard, an artist, photographer, sculptor, and queer leader. Be sure to listen to the episode on the Lesbian Avengers, as this came out around the same time.
Fat Liberation Manifesto
Next up: a manifesto from 1973, called “The Fat Liberation Manifesto.” It comes from Jude Freespirit, an activist for lesbian rights, fat acceptance, disability rights, and incest survival, and Aldebaran, a founder of the Fat Underground.
The Fat Underground said that majority of fat individuals could not “cure” themselves through dieting because being fat was just another body type, like height and shoe size. They gave lectures, protested diet clinics, and spread this manifesto.
Zapatista Women's Revolutionary Laws
Next: A manifesto from 1994 from the women of the Zapatistas. As you’ll recall from our episode on the meeting between the Zapatistas and a group of Chicana artists from LA, this army took over parts of Mexico in 1994 to protect indigenous peoples. Women were an important part of the movement. Here’s the “Zapatista Women’s Revolutionary Laws.”
W.I.T.C.H. Manifesto
Next: Another manifesto we’ve referenced in this show. The Women’s International Terrorist Conspiracy from Hell, or W.I.T.C.H, brought together radical women to scare the shit out of mainstream society in 1968. Here’s the full manifesto from this group.
Why Cheap Art
Finally, one more short manifesto. This comes from the Bread and Puppet Theatre in 1984, and is titled, “Why Cheap Art?” We’ll talk more about this theatre group in a future episode. Here’s a manifesto that exemplifies what we’re talking about in this show.
OUTRO
The Art of Resistance is a podcast from Rebel Yell Creative. To make art that matters, every creative person needs support. Find yours at RebelYellCreative.com.
This is Amy Lee Lillard, and I wrote, narrated, and produced this show. Check the show notes for all sources. And head to rebelyellcreative.com for full show transcripts, art, and more.
I’ll see you next time.
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