Art Against Brutality : Community and Collaborative Art Projects with Survivors of Political Violence

Community art projects empower those impacted by state terror and conflict in Latin America and among Native communities in the US. Collaborative murals serve as platforms for shared memories and personal stories, fostering dialogue, resilience and a unity that reclaims collective identity and history.

Art Against Brutality brings a much-needed contribution to the field of community arts and the burgeoning field of social practice art, as well as adding to post-conflict literature, dealing with the aftermath of state terro in Latin America (El Salvador, Guatemala, Colombia, Argentina, México) and with native people in the United States. It outlines truly collaborative approaches, based on ideas from the community participants, rather than shaped by the facilitating artist. Often the form of the art project is a mural, in which the participants decide on the theme and storyline. These collaborative, community-based art projects engage children, youth, and adults to converse and to find a common thread of intention. Often this thread is rooted in shared historical memory; it emerges from personal and communal stories, from people's expectations, fears, and tenacity to continue living despite the carnage, losses, and displacement they have suffered.