Art Against the Law (Chicago Social Practice History Series)

Chicago is a vibrant city noted for its beauty, innovation, art, and more shamefully for its political abuse and social inequities. This issue, part of the Chicago Social Practice History Series, looks at how activist artists can voice a resistance to prevailing injustices and attempt to change established biases. In a series of twenty-one essays and interviews by different contributors, an eclectic collection of topics reflecting the concerns of the writers illuminate this issue. Topics range from promoting art in prisons, displaying a political voice through murals, monuments to commemorate an aspect of history. History of Black persecution within the city and in prisons is angrily reported, while the attempts to use art, words, and actions to modulate the inner psyche of a city infected with corruption and discrimination is described. This collection will appeal to sociologists, residents of similar jaded communities, and to the native residents who will recognize the voices expressed in the contents. Unfortunately, the diverse styles and topics of the contributors unglue the coherence of the subject.