© 2025 Abbetuck

Media Arts

"An Inconvenient Truth" is a 2006 American documentary film directed by Davis Guggenheim about former vice president of the United States Al Gore's campaign to educate people about global warming.

Photography. Film. Animation. Digital Art.

How have visual artists working in the media arts activated their talents for our common good? What action can you take today?

If you are an artist working in photography, film, animation, and new media technologies, here are ways you can harness your talent to create significant social change and foster community awareness:

  • Raise Awareness: Through powerful visuals and storytelling, highlight social issues such as climate change, human rights, and political corruption.
  • Advocate and Activate: Use your artform to critique government policies and advocate for human rights. Challenge viewers to consider the implications of their society's actions.
  • Engage the Community: Collaborate with local communities to produce works that reflect shared experiences and cultural identities.
  • Educate and Empower: Launch an art project in a school or community center and empower individuals by teaching them how to express themselves creatively. Provide a platform for marginalized voices and inspire future generations to continue the work of social change.
  • Deploy New Media: Through social media, websites, and digital installations, you can instantly share your message and provoke thoughts on a massive scale.

Raise Awareness

In the 1860s, Carleton E. Watkins' photographs of Yosemite Valley were instrumental in raising awareness about the natural beauty of the area. They also inspired President Abraham Lincoln to lay the groundwork for the U.S. national park system.

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Advocate and Activate

The 2014 movie "Selma," directed by Ava DuVernay, was more than just a historical drama. The Academy Award-nominated film was a wake-up call about the ongoing struggle for civil rights. It also became a rallying cry for viewers to become agents of change.

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Engage the Community

In 2011, French-artist JR launched the Inside Out Project, helping communities take actions around a range of topics, including diversity, community, feminism, racism, climate change, education, children’s rights and art.

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Educate and Empower

The Walt Disney Family Museum Animation Academy supports marginalized individuals and communities by providing comprehensive training in art, animation and storytelling. Instructors frequently travel to schools in poor districts to provide on-campus instruction to students.

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Deploy New Media

Laurie Anderson is a musician, composer, filmmaker, author and media artist. Her thought-provoking narratives often include social commentary, inviting viewers to reflect on the intersections of technology, culture, and the human experience.

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Huỳnh Công Út, known professionally as Nick Ut, is a Vietnamese-American photographer who won the Pulitzer Prize for his 1972 photograph "The Terror of War." Depicting children running away from a napalm bombing attack, many believe this image changed the course of the Vietnam War.

Huỳnh Công Út, known professionally as Nick Ut, is a Vietnamese-American photographer who won the Pulitzer Prize for his 1972 photograph "The Terror of War." Many believe that the image of children fleeing a napalm bombing attack helped change the course of the Vietnam War.

Morgan Spurlock directed and starred in the 2004 American documentary film "Super Size Me"
Rafael Lozano-Hemmer's "Pulse Index" is an interactive installation that records participants’ fingerprints at the same time as it detects their heart rates. Photo by: Cathy Carver.

Rafael Lozano-Hemmer's "Pulse Index" is an interactive installation that explores themes of surveillance by recording participants’ fingerprints at the same time it detects their heart rates. Photo by Cathy Carver.

Are you aware of a media artist who is mobilizing meaningful change in the world with their art form?
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Abbetuck

Abbetuck
P.O. Box 222303
Dallas, TX | USA

Abbetuck encourages artists to create works that inspire compassion and promote freedom.

© 2025 Abbetuck